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UNIVERSITY    LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

AT 

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B9 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Boston  Library  Consortium  IVIember  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/baycountypastpre1910butt 


Prpsque  K 

le 

17.   Wexford 

1, 

Charlevoi 

IS.   Missaukee 

;, 

Leelanau 

19.    Roscommo 

6. 

Antrim 

20.  Ogemaw 

;. 

Otsego 

21.    Iosco 

8 

Montmore 

ncv 

2  2.    Mason 

D 

Alpena 

23.   Lake 

10. 

Benzie 

24.  Osceola 

1 1. 

Grand  Tra 

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se  25.   Clare 

1  2 

Kalkaska 

26,   Gladwin 

1  :-; 

Crawford 

27.    Arenac 

1  1 

Oscoda 

Central 

Section. 

1 . 

Oceana 

8.   Muskegon 

2 

Newaygo 

9.   Montcalm 

:'.. 

Mecosta 

10.   Gratiot 

4 

Isabella 

11.   Saginaw 

't 

Midland 

12.   Tuscola 

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Bay 

13.   Sanilac 

T 

Huron 

Southern  Section. 

I 

Ottawa 

15.    Macomb 

2 

Kent 

16.   Van  Burei 

:i 

(enia 

17.   Kalamazoi 

4 

Clinton 

18.   Calhoun 

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Shiawasst 

e 

19    Jackson 

i; 

Genesee 

20.  Washtenax 

7 

Lapeer 

21.  Wayne 

s 

St.  Clair 

22.   Berrien 

9 

Allegan 

23.   Cass 

10 

Barry 

24.   St.  Joseph 

1  1 

Eaton 

25.   Branch 

12 

Ingham 

26.   Hillsdale 

IS 

Livingsto 

1 

27.   Lenawee 

1  4 

Oakland 

28.   Monroe 

Ba  y  County 

Past  and  Present 


COMPILED 

BY  THE 

PUPILS  AND  TEACHERS 

OF  THE 

SIXTH  GRADE  GEOGRAPHY  CLASSES 

BAY  CITY  PUPLIC  SCHOOLS 


EDITED  BY 

GEO.    E.    BUTTERFIELD 

Principal  McKinley  School 


19  18 

C.  &  J.  GREGORY,  PUBLISHERS 

Bay  City,  Michigan 


975 


COPYRIGHTED  1918 
Bay  City  Board  of  Education 


Preface 


1^  0  ^HIS  little  book  was  compiled  by  the  six  B  classes  of  all  the 
s  rr\  s  schools  of  the  city.  It  combines  the  geography,  history  and 
[^  X  [|  the  civil  government  of  the  city  and  the  community,  and  con- 
s  i^^  s  stitutes  a  study  in  the  concrete,  of  these  subjects.  The  old- 
l^  0  ^  fashioned  method  of  learning  was  largely  a  process  of  rub- 
bing the  child's  head  against  the  dry  and  uninteresting  pages  of  a 
book.  That  was  not  all  bad — perhaps  not  more  than  half  bad.  But 
the  new  education  stresses  the  doing  side  rather  than  the  receptive 
side  of  the  child's  nature.  It  sets  him  a  problem  to  work  out,  rather 
than  the  irksome  task  of  rehearsing  the  accomplishments  of  others. 

The  child  may  know  much,  and  yet,  as  a  man,  he  may  not  be  able 
to  meet  practical  problems  in  life.  Knowing  about  things  through 
the  eyes  and  ears  and  experiences  of  others  is  one  thing,  and  knowing 
things  through  one's  own  eyes  and  ears  and  experiences  is  quite  an- 
other. The  one  means  merely  the  acquisition  of  knowledge ;  the  other 
means  the  power  of  application. 

The  present  work  has  afforded  the  children  of  the  public  schools 
an  opportunity  of  doing  something  that  is  quite  worth  while,  and 
then  it  lays  the  foundations  for  a  rational  study  of  geography  and  its 
allied  subjects  by  presenting  facts  which  come  within  the  child's  ob- 
servation. They  present  to  him  a  concrete  application  by  which  he 
may  judge  and  evaluate  and  interpret  other  geographical  facts  which 
must,  by  virtue  of  their  distance  from  him,  be  foreign  to  his  senses 
and  his  experiences. 

The  book  has  been  carefully  edited  by  Mr.  George  E.  Butterfield, 
principal  of  the  McKinley  school,  who  has  been  careful,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, to  preserve  the  original  language  of  the  children  furnishing  the 
manuscript.  The  writer  of  this  preface,  the  present  superintendent 
of  schools,  wishes  to  express  his  appreciation  of  the  excellent  work 
done  both  by  Mr.  Butterfield  and  by  the  children. 

F.  A.  CAUSE, 

Superintendent  of  Schools. 


Introduction 


CAREFUL  study  of  the  home  region  furnishes  an  excellent 
foundation  for  the  later  study  of  the  geography,  history,  and 
government  of  our  nation  and  of  other  nations.  It  is  interest- 
ing and  understandable  because  the  child  is  living  in  the 
midst  of  the  conditions,  events,  and  things  studied.  He  sees 
old  friends  in  a  new  light.  Moreover,  most  of  the  elements  in  the 
more  advanced  studies  are  to  be  found  at  home  in  the  regional  study. 

The  interaction  between  man  and  his  physical  surroundings  has 
taken  place  in  many  ways  right  here  in  Bay  County.  The  forests  fur- 
nish the  best  example,  for  they  attracted  the  people  here,  furnished 
them  with  their  occupations,  and  in  the  meantime  were  cleared  away 
by  those  people  who  established  rich  farms  and  built  great  factories  in 
their  places. 

Bay  City  furnishes  a  good  example  of  two  types  of  cities,  as  it 
combines  the  elements  both  of  the  trading  and  distributing  center  and 
of  the  manufacturing  center. 

Government  has  developed  step  by  step  from  the  very  simple 
government  of  an  unsettled  region  into  the  complex  government  of  a 
densely  populated  county. 

When  such  a  study  of  Bay  County  was  undertaken  two  years  ago 
at  the  request  of .  Superintendent  Cause,  it  was  found  to  be  very  diffi- 
cult to  get  suitable  material  on  the  many  topics.  In  some  schools 
there  was  very  little  material  to  be  found,  because  the  parents  were 
mostly  recent  immigrants.  In  other  schools  there  was  a  wealth  of  ma- 
terial to  be  obtained  directly  from  the  pioneers,  but  there  was  no  way 
in  which  this  material  could  be  given  to  the  other  schools  or  could  be 
preserved  for  future  classes.  The  libraries  contain  much  valuable 
material,  but  not  in  a  form  suitable  for  use  by  sixth  grade  pupils. 

To  overcome  these  difficulties,  Mr.  Cause  suggested  that  the 
geography  department,  with  the  pupils  of  the  sixth  grade,  make  a  de- 
tailed study  of  the  county  for  one  year.  This  would  give  the  pupils  an 
important  piece  of  constructive  work  to  do,  and  the  results  could  then 
be  published  as  a  text  book  for  use  in  future  classes. 

The  method  of  procedure  has  been  as  follows :  The  sixth  grade 
teachers  of  geography  met  at  frequent  intervals  to  discuss  the  work, 
the  sources  of  material,  and  to  form  general  outlines  for  the  classes  to 
follow.    Beginning  in  January,  1917,   and  continuing  through  May, 


pupil  representatives  from  each  sixth  grade  in  the  city  met  for  an  hour 
once  a  week  with  the  chairman  to  present  reports  from  their  classes, 
discuss  various  parts  of  the  work,  and  decide  questions  that  had  arisen. 
By  the  close  of  the  school  year  in  June,  reports  of  the  work  of  each 
class  had  been  handed  in  to  the  chairman.  These  reports  were  sifted, 
conflicting  statements  investigated,  and  sources  of  all  kinds  consulted. 
Many  of  the  pioneer  residents  were  interviewed.  Then  the  work  was 
put  in  final  form  for  publication. 

It  has  been  our  object  to  have  an  interesting  book.  This  accounts 
for  many  of  the  stories  and  illustrations.  At  the  same  time  we  have 
attempted  to  make  the  work  as  reliable  as  possible  and  to  record  the 
sources  of  our  information.  Lack  of  time  has  made  it  impossible  to  go 
to  the  real  sources  in  many  cases. 

We  have  aimed  to  place  the  emphasis  on  those  phases  of  the  work 
that  are  significant,  but  are  not  at  hand  for  study  now.  The  present 
industrial  and  governmental  conditions  need  no  text  for  their  study — 
in  fact,  ought  to  have  none.  The  daily  paper  with  its  advertisements, 
statements  about  business  and  the  industries,  and  with  its  proceedings 
of  the  Common  Council,  Board  of  Education,  Board  of  Supervisors, 
and  of  other  governmental  bodies  of  the  city  and  county  furnish 
text  enough  for  this  part  of  the  work.  At  the  same  time  it  is  desired 
that  the  personal  observation  of  the  pupil  be  used  wherever  possible. 
This  can  be  accomplished  by  means  of  individual,  group,  or  class  ex- 
cursions and  visits  to  interesting  places,  to  industrial  plants,  and  to  the 
meetings  of  the  Common  Council,  etc. 

Many  suggestions  and  much  valuable  information  have  been  re- 
ceived from  individual  citizens,  city  and  county  officials,  and  the 
libraries.  Many  valuable  illustrations  have  been  donated  at  consider- 
able expense  by  several  of  our  factories  and  by  individuals  interested 
in  the  success  of  the  book.  Superintendent  Cause  has  personally  ex- 
amined each  chapter  and  has  offered  many  helpful  suggestions.  The 
half-tones  and  zinc  etchings  for  the  illustrations  and  the  maps  were 
prepared  by  Bay  City's  engraver,  Darwin  C.  Schmidt.  The  interest 
and  care  given  the  entire  book  by  the  publishers,  and  especially  by 
Mr.  Chan  Gregory,  is  in  evidence  throughout  the  book. 

Much  valuable  material  had  to  be  omitted  because  of  the  limit  to 
the  size  of  the  book  and  on  account  of  the  special  purpose  for  which  it 
was  prepared.  There  are  doubtless  many  mistakes  that  will  need  cor- 
recting on  account  of  the  great  variety  of  sources  used.  Suggestions 
and  corrections  will  be  gladly  received,  passed  on  to  the  classes,  and 
filed  for  future  use. 

Geo.  E.  Butterfield, 

Chairman. 


Table  of  Contents 


I.  General  Facts - 1 

II.  Physical  Features _ 3 

III.  Climate   .._ _ _._ 12 

NATIVE  LIFE. 

IV.  Vegetation    ._ _ 18 

V.  Animals  20 

VI.  First  Evidences  of  Human  Life 25 

VII.  Legendary  History  of  the  Sauk  Indians _ 29 

VIII.  The  Chippewa  Indians ..: 33 

WHITE  PEOPLE  TAKE  POSSESSION. 

IX.  The  French  Period 42 

X.  The  Enghsh  Period  46 

XL         The  Fur  Traders  50 

XII.  The  American  Period — Boundary  Changes 58 

XIII.  The  American  Period — Indian  Treaties  61 

XIV.  The  American  Period — Conditions    Favorable    and    Un- 

favorable to  Settlement 67 

SETTLEMENT. 

XV.  The  First  Settlers 73 

XVI.  Pioneer  Life  82 

INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

XVII.  Early  Development — Lumbering    94 

XVIII.  Early  Development — Salt,  Shipbuilding  and  Fishing 108 

XIX.  General  Manufacturing  and  Agriculture 118 

XX.  Transportation  and  Communication  124 

XXI.  Period  of  Transition 138 

XXII.  Bay  City  as  a  Commercial  Center 155 

PEOPLE. 

XXIII.  The  People  of  Bay  County.. 160 

GOVERNMENT. 

XXIV.  History  of  Its  Organization 169 

XXV.  Some  of  Its  Activities .-. 175 

Appendix 191 

Index  207 


Illustrations 


Page 
Bay  City,  The  Glad-Hand  Town....  2 
Dredge,    Made    in    Bay    City,     at 

Worli  in  Bay  County  10 

Cass  Avenue  Flooded  in  1916 11 

Saginaw's   Tall  Whispering  Pines      18 

Wolverine 24 

Bay  County  Indian   Relics 27 

Captain  Joseph  Francois  Marsac.      62 

Mader   Tromble   ..- 74 

The  Center  House  --      75 

Judge  Albert  Miller  -—      76 

James  Fraser — 77 

Mader   Tromble  Homestead    79 

Bay  City  in  the  Fall  of  183  8... 80 

Captain  John  S.  Wilson  82 

Joseph  Tromble 84 

Mrs.  Thomas  Rogers  ---.      87 

W^m.  R.  McCormick 89 

Sidney  S.   Campbell 90 

James   G.   Birney   92 

Bay  City  in  1854  94 

A   View   Looking  West   from   the 

Water  Works  98 

The    Sage    Mill   and   Third    Street 

Bridge - 100 

Big  Wheels  Used  in  Hauling  Logs   101 
S.    O.    Fisher's  Camp,    at   Pincon- 

ning,  about  1882   102 

The  Lumber  Camp  102 

The  Lumber  Woods  103 

Saw  Mills  and  Lumber  Yard -.    104 

An  Early  Saw  Mill  105 

The  Kneeland-Bigelow  Saw  Mill     .   106 

Bigelow-Cooper  Salt  Block  111 

Building   of    the    Ship,    at    David- 
son's Shipyard   113 

Launching  the  Ship 114 

Sturgeon      Caught      in      Saginaw 

Bay   115 

Mending  the  Nets  116 

Boring  Solid  Pipe,  Michigan  Pipe 

Company  120 

Showing  Method  of  Banding  Pipe   120 
One   of  the     Large     Coating   Ma- 
chines     121 

The  Boutell  Fleet 124 

Passenger     Service     on     Saginaw 
River — the   Evening    Star,    and 

the  L.  G.  Mason 124 

Saginaw  River,  1882  ._ 125 

Center  Avenue  in  1875  129 

Flint   and  Pere    Marquette   Rail- 
way, 1866  - 131 


Page 

Street  Car  Barns  on  Cass  Avenue 

— Built  in  1882   132 

Bay  City  Post  Office  136 

Michigan  Central  Depot  13  7 

Lewis  Manufacturing  Company....    13  8 

W.  H.  Nickless  Box  Factory 140 

Sugar  Factory  and  Beet  Field 141 

North  American  Chemical  Co. — ■ 

General  View  and  Engine  Room   142 

Modern  Fire  Room 143 

Bay  City  Dry  Dock 144 

Unloading  Sugar  Beets  145 

The  Industrial  Works — 

General    View,    the    Shops,    and 

Cranes  at  AVork  146 

T.  F.  Marston's  Jersey  Cattle 147 

Chevrolet  Motor  Car  Plant 148 

Monitor  Coal  Mine — The  First  in 

Bay    County    150 

Hydro-Electric    Power    Generated 
on  the  AuSable — 
Five  Channels  Dam,  Loud  Dam, 
Cooke's  Dam,  and  Transmit- 
ting Tower   151 

W.  D.  Young  &  Company,  Hard- 
wood Flooring  Plant — Birdseye 

View  152  and  153 

Zagelmeyer  Cast  Stone  Block  and 

Machinery  Company    154 

Chicory  Factory  154 

The  City  Market  ...-   156 

The  World's  Star  Knitting  Mills..   157 
Northeastern    Michigan    Develop- 
ment Bureau — Automobile  Ex- 
hibit     159 

AVenonah   Hotel   163 

Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion     164 

Wading  in  SaginaM^  Bay  165 

Log  Rolling  Contest — ^"Ready  for 
the  Contest,"  and  "The  Win- 
ner"     - 166 

Camping  Along  the  Bay  Shore 167 

Bathing — Wenona   Beach    168 

Boating — Along  the  Bay  Shore....   169 

N.    B.    Bradley —   172 

Captain  Benjamin  F.  Pierce. 173 

E.  L.  Dunbar .-   177 

The    Michigan    Pipe    Works      on 

Fire 179 

"Try  Us"  Fire  Engine,  1859  181 

Neptune  Company,  1866  182 

Chief  T.  K.  Harding  183 

Bay  City's  Modern  Fire  Apparatus   184 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


(CONTINUED) 


Page 
SCHOOLS. 

Riegel 28 

Dolsen  32 

Woodside -..- ---.  36 

Washington    41 

Wenona    .- --- 45 

Garfield   .- _...  49 

McKinley 53 

Park 57 

Kolb 60 

Sherman    66 

Trombley    66 

Lincoln    72 

Fremont 96 

Whittier 96 

Corbin 107 

First  School  House  in  Lower  Sag- 
inaw,  1844   185 

The  Last  Log  School  in  Bay 

County     186 

Farragut  School — High  School  of 

1868    187 

Western  High  School 188 

Bay  City's  "New  High  School" — 

1883 189 


Page 
MAPS. 
Michigan  Frontispiece 

Sketch  of  World,  Showing  Parallel 
and  Meridian  Through  Bay  City        1 

One  Stage  of  the    Great    Glacier, 

Showing  Lake  Saginaw  5 

Bay  County 8  and  9 

United  States  Weather  Map 13 

Bay  City,  Mount    Pleasant,    Lud- 

ington  and  Sioux  Falls 15 

Temperature    and    Rainfall  Maps 

of  the  Southern  Peninsula 16 

Indian  Tribes  in  Michigan 2  9 

General   Location   of   the  French, 

English  and  Spanish  in  America  42 

John  Mitchell's  Map,  1755 44 

Northwest  Territory  5  8 

Michigan   Territory 5  8 

Saginaw  Valley  Counties  in  1831  59 

The  Erie  Canal 71 

Northeastern  Michigan .—  158 


REFERENCES. 

Special  references  are  given  in  notes  at  the  bottom  of  the  pages. 

Lists  are  given  at  the  end  of  each  chapter. 

References  to  the  Michigan  Pioneer  and  History  Collections  are  given  by 
volume  and  page;  the  name  is  omitted — that  is,  any  reference  such  as  VIII,  3  2  9, 
refers  to  those  collections. 


lay  ICoomitys,  Past  and  Praseimt 


Chapter  I.  — GENERAL  FACTS. 


EFORE  we  study  those  facts  that  deal  with  Bay  County  in 
particular,  let  us  compare  our  location  with  that  of  other 
places  on  the  earth. 

If  we  were  to  go  around  the  world  on  the  meridian  that 
passes  through  Bay  City,  we  would  find  few  cities,  but  we 
would  learn  some  interesting  facts.  To  the  north  we  would  pass  west 
of  Alpena  and  east  of  Mackinaw  and  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  through  thinly 


Pl&riU 


settled  parts  of  Canada,  into  the  Hudson  Bay.  Traveling  southward 
on  the  meridian,  we  would  go  within  sight  of  Ann  Arbor  and  our 
great  State  University,  and  at  that  point  Detroit  would  be  about  forty 
miles  to  the  east.  We  would  also  pass  near  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  and 
Talahassee,  Florida.  Then  in  crossing  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  we  would 
touch  at  the  western  end  of  Cuba  and  reach  the  continent  again  in 
Central  America.  But  many  of  us  would  be  greatly  surprised  on  con- 
tinuing south  to  find  that  we  were  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  too  far  west 
to  see  any  part  of  the  continent  of  South  America. 


2  BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

On  the  meridian  directly  opposite  us,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
globe,  we  would  go  through  central  Russia,  desert  and  mountainous 
regions  of  the  Chinese  Republic  where  we  would  find  very  few  people, 
and  on  into  the  interesting  land  of  Burma  or  Farther  India,  with  its 
dense  forests  of  valuable  teak  wood,  and  its  fertile  and  densely  popula- 
ted valley  of  the  Irawadi  River,  where  the  world  buys  its  rice  and 
where  the  elephant  does  the  heavy  work.  South  of  Burma  we  would 
find  the  warm  Indian  Ocean  and  the  most  western  islands  of  the  East 
Indies. 

In  traveling  due  east  and  west,  that  is  on  the  parallel  that  passes 
through  Bay  City,  we  would  have  a  trip  no  less  interesting.  In  Mich- 
igan we  would  go  through  the  well  known  towns  of  Cass  City,  Midland 
and  Mount  Pleasant.  Farther  to  the  west  we  could  see  the  Wind  Cave 
National  Park  in  the  Black  Hills  of  South  Dakota,  and  would  reach 
the  Pacific  Ocean  near  the  central  part  of  the  Oregon  coast.  Crossing 
the  ocean  far  to  the  north  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  and  the  other  well 
known  islands  of  the  Pacific,  our  trip  would  take  us  through  the 
northern  and  less  important  parts  of  Japan  and  the  Chinese  Republic, 
and  through  southern  Russia  in  Asia  into  the  Black  Sea. 

Going  east  from  Bay  City  we  would  pass  through  Toronto,  in 
Canada,  and  Portland,  Maine,  over  the  southern  edge  of  the  Grand 
Banks  of  Newfoundland  and  on  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  When  we 
reached  Europe  many  would  be  astonished  to  find  that  we  were  far 
south  of  the  British  Isles,  Holland,  Belgium  and  even  Switzerland,  and 
that  we  in  Bay  County  live  no  farther  from  the  equator  than  the  peo- 
ple of  Marseilles  in  southern  France,  or  than  those  of  the  famous 
cities  of  Pisa  and  Florence  in  the  warm  and  sunny  Italy. 

Returning  home,  let  us  examine  some  of 
the  general  facts  about  our  citj^  and  county. 
Although  only  four  other  counties  of  Michigan 
are  smaller.  Bay  County  is  equal  to  more  than 
one-third  of  the  entire  state  of  Rhode  Island, 
and  extends  over  about  one-half  of  one  degree 
of  latitude  and  of  longitude.  It  is  located  at 
about  the  center  of  the  eastern  shore  of  Mich- 
igan, at  the  head  of  that  great  arm  of  Lake  Huron,  Saginaw  Bay, 
where  the  "Thumb"  of  the  Michigan  mitten  joins  the  hand. 

We  see  that  the  county  is  irregular  in  shape  on  account  of  the 
political  boundaries  made  in  carving  Bay  County  from  Saginaw  County 
and  later  in  forming  Arenac  from  what  for  over  twenty-five  years  was 
the  northern  part  of  Bay  County.     Its  position  on  the  bay  shore  also 


PHYSICALFEATURES.  3 

adds  to  the  irregular  shape.  A  glance  at  the  map  will  show  that  the 
bounding  counties,  with  the  exception  of  Arenac,  are  larger  and  much 
more  regular  than  ours. 

Bay  City,  like  the  county,  is  long,  rather  narrow,  and  irregular, 
being  built  up  along  both  banks  of  the  Saginaw  River.  It  extends 
from  within  one  and  one-half  miles  of  Saginaw  Bay  at  its  nearest 
point  in  Banks,  to  about  seven  and  one-half  miles  from  the  bay  at  its 
southern  boundary.  No  point  in  the  city  is  two  miles  away  from  some 
part  of  the  river,  while  its  greatest  width  from  east  to  west  is  but 
little  more  than  three  miles. 

Both  city  and  county  are  divided  by  the  river  into  natural  divi- 
sions— the  east  and  west  sides.  For  purposes  of  government  the  city 
is  divided  into  nine  wards  (1) ,  and  the  county  is  divided  for  the  same 
reason  into  one  city  and  fourteen  townships.  The  usual  township  is 
six  miles  square,  but  in  Bay  County  we  see  that  there  is  great  irreg- 
ularity in  both  the  size  and  the  shape  of  the  townships. 


Chapter  II.— PHYSICAL  FEATURES 

THE  UNDERLYING  ROCK  FORMATION. 

OR  ages  what  is  now  Michigan  was  almost  entirely  at  the  bot- 
tom of  a  great  inland  sea  that  covered  much  of  this  part  of 
North  America.  In  the  Upper  Peninsula  is  found  old,  hard 
rock  formed  by  the  action  of  volcanoes — there  are  even  the  re- 
mains of  some  volcanic  cones  in  the  Copper  Country.  But  in 
the  Lower  Peninsula,  in  drilling  into  the  underlying  rock  for  many 
hundreds  of  feet  (2)  there  have  been  found  layer  after  layer  of  soft 
rock  formed  by  the  detritus  brought  into  that  old  inland  sea  by  its 
many  rivers. 

Being  far  from  the  shore,  the  water  could  carry  only  the  finest 
material  to  this  bottom  land.  Layers  of  limy  ooze  were  left  to  he 
changed  by  time  and  by  pressure  from  still  other  layers  into  sand- 
stone. Mud  formed  layers  of  shale,  the  color  varying  with  the  kind 
of  mud.    Part  of  the  time  this  inland  sea  had  no  outlet  and  was  salty, 


(1)  In  case  the  commission   form  of  g-overnment   is  adopted,   these   wards,  with 
slig-lit  boundary  changes,  will  be  retained  for  certain  purposes. 

(2)  See  Geological  column  in  Appendix. 


4  BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

SO  that  there  are  at  least  two  layers  of  salt  underneath  this  part  of 
Michigan.  These  were  formed  in  much  the  same  way  as  salt  layers 
are  now  being  formed  at  the  bottom  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  in  Utah. 

At  other  times  part  of  the  great  sea  was  shallow  and  dense  vege- 
tation in  swampy  places  formed  layers  of  muck  or  peat,  and  as  other 
changes  put  layers  of  rock  on  top,  the  pressure  changed  this  material 
into  coal,  though  the  pressure  was  not  great  enough  to  create  any  ex- 
cept a  soft  or  bituminous  grade  of  coal.  Some  of  these  layers  of  rock, 
especially  of  shale  and  coal,  are  only  a  few  feet,  or  in  places  a  few 
inches  thick,  and  others,  especially  those  of  sandstone  and  limestone, 
vary  from  ten  feet  to  several  hundred  feet — one  layer  of  shale  is  rec- 
orded as  being  560  feet  in  thickness. 

THE  EFFECT  OF  THE  GREAT  GLACIERS. 

At  a  much  later  time,  when  the  inland  sea  had  disappeared,  the 
present  Great  Lakes  were  only  river  valleys  where  rivers  were  cutting 
their  way  down  through  part  of  the  land  that  had  been  so  carefully 
built  up  by  the  sea. 

Then  the  great  glaciers  moved  over  this  part  of  North  America 
at  four  or  five  different  periods  of  time,  gouging  boulders  out  of  the 
rock,  grinding  these  into  smaller  pieces,  forming  gravel,  sand  and  clay 
and  carrying  it  all  southward  in  their  slow  but  irresistible  movement. 

Part  of  these  masses  of  ice  and  rock  material  covered  Bay  County. 
After  long  ages  of  time  the  ice  gradually  disappeared  for  the  last  time 
and  left  a  great  mantle  of  rock  material  covering  the  laj^ers  of  sedi- 
mentary rock  that  had  formed  at  the  bottom  of  the  former  inland  sea. 
This  glacial  drift,  made  up  of  huge  boulders,  smaller  rocks,  gravel, 
sand  and  clay,  covers  the  bed  rock  in  Bay  County  to  a  probable  average 
depth  of  97  feet  (1),  and  in  places,  as  near  the  Midland  County  hne 
along  the  Midland  road,  it  is  probably  as  much  as  250  feet  or  more  in 
depth.  Bed  rock  does  not  reach  the  surface  anywhere  in  Bay  County. 
It  comes  nearest  to  the  surface  in  Eraser  Township  where  in  some 
places  it  is  only  thirty  feet  below.  (2) 

When  the  last  glacier  had  melted  back  so  that  its  edge  was  across 
part  of  Saginaw  Bay  or  Lake  Huron,  a  large  lake  was  formed  south  of 
it,  called  Saginaw  Lake  by  scientists,  into  which  the  water  from  the 
surrounding  land  and  from  the  melting  ice  drained.  This  Saginaw 
Lake  extended  around  the  end  of  the  present   bay,   and  toward  the 


(1)  See  Geolog-ical  column  in  Appendix. 

(2)  Cooper,  p:  ir,2. 


PHYSICAL     FEATURES. 


One.  ^ta,^e   of  Great  Glaciec 


ifiihtb 


southwest,  part  way  across 
the  state.  The  water  flow- 
ed out  through  the  Grand 
River  into  Lake  Michigan, 
and  reached  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  through  the  Missis- 
sippi River.  As  the  ice 
continued  to  melt  back  and 
at  times  advanced  again, 
this  lake  changed  its  shore 
lines  very  many  times,  and 
later  it  joined  with  other 
lakes  that  were  formed  in 
the  same  way  near  Port 
Huron  and  Detroit. 
When  the  glacier  had  receded  far  enough  to  allow  the  water  to 
pass  out  to  the  ocean  through  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  these  temporary 
lakes  disappeared,  but  left  the  present  Great  Lakes..  (1)  Then  the 
Saginaw  River  was  formed  and  in  time  it  has  built  up  a  flood  plain  on 
top  of  part  of  the  old  lake  bottom  by  spreading  over  the  level  valley 
the  mud  that  it  has  carried  in  great  quantities  during  heavy  rains  and 
especially  during  the  spring  high  water. 

The  foregoing  facts  will  make  clear  much  that  follows  in  regard 
to  the  present  surface,  drainage  and  soil  conditions  of  Bay  County  and 
the  neighboring  counties. 


SURFACE. 

The  shore  of  Saginaw  Bay  is  about  580  feet  or  about  one-ninth 
of  a  mile  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  There  is  no  appreciable  tide, 
according  to  a  report  of  a  United  States  Government  official.  The 
coastline,  thirty-five  or  thirty-six  miles  in  length,  is  low  and  sandy. 
There  are  many  swampy  places  near  the  shore.  The  coast  is  very  reg- 
ular when  compared  with  such  rocky  and  irregular  coasts  as  that  of 
Georgian  Bay  in  Ontario.  But  there  are  a  few  slight  indentations  or 
bays  in  addition  to  the  estuaries  formed  at  the  mouths  of  the  Saginaw 
and  Kawkawlin  rivers,  as  Tobico  Bay  in  Bangor  Township  and  Neam- 
quam  Bay  north  of  Lengsville  in  Fraser  Township.  The  shore  is 
gradually  receding,  and  has  left  sand  ridges  near  the  present  shore. 
The  mouth  of  the  Saginaw  River  affords  the  only  good  harbor. 


(1)      Frank  B.  Taylor,  p.  29S-32S  for  the  various  stages  in  this  change. 


6  BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

From  the  bay  shore  the  rise  of  land  is  very  gradual  (1) .  In  the 
southern  part  of  the  county,  located  as  it  is  in  the  river  valley  and  on 
the  old  lake  bottom,  the  surface  is  particularly  low  and  very  level.  At 
no  point  east  of  the  river  does  it  rise  more  than  twenty-five  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  bay.  The  highest  points  are  near  the  southern  bound- 
ary of  the  county  in  Merritt  Township,  and  near  the  river  in  Bay  City, 
beginning  near  Columbus  Avenue  and  extending  south,  perhaps  to 
Fremont  Avenue. 

The  same  low  condition  is  found  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  for 
a  mile  or  more  from  the  river,  though  the  rise  is  slightly  greater  than 
on  the  east  side.  The  highest  point  in  the  limits  of  Bay  City  is  at  the 
intersection  of  Jenny  Street  and  Euclid  Avenue  (2).  In  the  western 
and  northern  part  of  the  county  the  surface  is  not  quite  so  level  as  in 
the  south,  though  there  is  no  place  outside  of  Gibson  and  Mount  Forest 
townships  where  the  land  rises  one  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
bay. 

Much  of  this  part  of  the  county  was  also  covered  by  the  glacial 
lakes,  but  they  reached  their  western  limits  here  and  many  sand  ridges 
are  found  that  were  formed  by  their  shores.  The  ridges  in  the  western 
tier  of  townships  formed  part  of  the  western  shore  of  Saginaw  Lake, 
which  was  the  oldest  and  highest  of  the  glacier  lakes  of  this  region. 
Lakes  formed  after  that  were  lower  and  had  their  coasts  nearer  the 
present  shore  of  the  bay.  The  sand  ridge  extending  along  the  Kavv^- 
kawlin  stone  road  and  on  north  into  Arenac  County  is  perhaps  the 
most  continuous  of  these  old  shores,  but  many  others  formed  in  this 
way  are  to  be  found  in  every  township  on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 
Most  of  the  time  during  the  glacial  lake  period  the  east  side  of  the 
county  was  entirely  covered  by  the  water  of  the  lakes,  so  there  are  few 
sand  ridges  compared  with  the  rest  of  the  county,  but  even  here  some 
are  to  be  found.  One  is  quite  continuous.  It  starts  at  Washington 
Park,  passes  the  Farragut  School  and  the  cemeteries,  and  continues 
southeast,  passing  a  little  to  the  west  of  Munger.  (3) 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  county  the  surface  is  quite  high  and 
rolling,  and  northwest  of  Bentley,  where  a  glacial  moraine  extends  a 
short  distance  into  Bay  County  from  Gladwin  County  (4),  there  are 
many  hills,  some  rising  to  about  820  feet  above  the  sea  level  or  240 
feet  above  Saginaw  Bay  (5.)  This  is  the  highest  land  in  Bay  County. 
There  are  a  few  hills   of  sand  —  that  is,  sand  dunes  —  near  the  bay 


(1)  See  countoiar  lines  on  Map  of  Bay  County. 

(2)  602.7  feet  above  sea  level,  from  maps  in  office  of  City  Engineer. 

(3)  For  details  regarding  these  old  beaches,  see  Cooper,  pp.  343-350. 

(4)  Cooper  342.  343;  Maps:    Leverett,  1911;  Leverett  and  Taylor,  1914. 

(5)  See  contour  lines,  map  of  Bay  County. 


PHYSICAL     FEATURES. 


shore  in  Pinconning  and  Fraser  townships  that  have  been  formed  by 
the  action  of  the  wind  on  the  sand  along  the  shore.  (1) 


DRAINAGE. 

The  natural  drainage  of  the  county  as  a  whole  is  very  poor,  as  we 
might  very  well  expect  after  studying  the  general  surface  conditions. 
There  are  few  streams  in  Bay  County  that  empty  into  the  Saginaw 
River,  and  although  that  river  is  the  largest  in  the  state,  is  from  ten 
to  sixteen  feet  deep  in  its  lower  course  and  is  nearly  half  a  mile  wide 
in  some  places,  it  has  a  very  slow  current  except  in  the  spring,  and  is 
bordered  by  many  sw^amps  and  bayous — a  condition  found  in  the 
flood  plains  of  most  rivers.  One  of  these  bayous,  which  passes  near 
the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  tracks  and  the  Wenona  School,  and  con- 
tinues southwest  to  Salzburg,  was  used  as  a  drain  until  1886  or  even 
later,  by  the  villages  of  Salzburg  and  Wenona.  (2) 

There  are  a  few  other  rivers  and  streams  that  help  drain  the 
county,  the  Kawkawlin  River  with  its  north  and  south  branches  being 
the  most  important.  Others,  that  were  quite  important  fishing  and 
lumbering  streams  during  the  early  period  of  our  history,  had  many 
creeks  flowing  into  them.  There  are  the  Pinconning  or  Potato  River, 
the  Saganing  Creek  which  reaches  across  Arenac  County  into  Gibson 
and  Mount  Forest  townships,  White  Feather  Creek  in  Pinconning 
Township,  and  one  branch  of  the  Quanicassee  River  in  Merritt  Town- 
ship. These,  with  their  tributaries,  are  now  useful  mainly  as  drains. 
Since  the  land  has  been  cleared  of  the  forests  and  a  network  of  ditches 
have  been  dug,  the  water  passes  off  rapidly  and  the  streams  have  be- 
come small  and  very  narrow,  drying  up  entirely  in  their  upper 
branches  during  the  summer.  This  dwindling  process  is  continuing 
at  the  present  time  with  these  streams  and  also  with  the  tributaries 
of  the  Saginaw  River. 

Much  of  the  low  swamp  land  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county 
has  been  drained  by  large  ''dredge  cuts"  and  ditches,  thus  changing  it 
into  good  farm  land.  In  the  city  there  used  to  be  many  swampy 
places,  especially  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  The  present  location 
of  the  Farragut  School  was  once  a  swamp,  and  in  early  times  row 
boats  were  used  where  we  now  find  Cass  Avenue.  But  as  the  rise  of 
land  from  the  river  is  everywhere   enough   to   allow  the  land   to   be 


(1)  Map,  Leverett  and  Taylor,  1914. 

(2)  West  Bay  City  Council  Proceedings,  May  25,  1886. 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


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BAY     COUNTY,     PAST     AND     PRESENT. 


PHYSICAL     FEATURES. 


11 


-.•* 


Cass  Avenue  Flooded 
in  1916. 


drained  by  sewers,  all  these  places  have  been 
drained  and  filled  in,  so  that  a  healthy  condi- 
tion is  maintained  in  the  city  in  spite  of  the 
low,  level  land. 

There  are  spring  floods  in  the  Saginaw 
Valley  as  in  the  lower  courses  of  most  rivers, 
but  as  the  land  in  the  valley  in  Saginaw 
County  is  lower  than  that  in  Bay  County,  the 
floods  cause  the  most  trouble  between  Bay 
City  and  Saginaw,  where  large  areas  are 
flooded  annually.  Disastrous  floods,  how- 
ever, are  rare,  the  main  diflFiculty  being  in- 
terference with  railroad  and  inter-urban 
traffic.  The  streets  of  Bay  City,  with  a  very 
occasional  exception  in  the  south  end  of  the 
city,  are  never  flooded  as  they  are  in  many 
other  cities  located  in  river  flood  plains. 


SOIL. 

There  are  many  difi'erent  kinds  and  grades  of  soil  in  Bay  County 
(1).  Fine  clay  is  found  over  the  river  flood  plain  in  the  south,  and 
over  that  part  of  the  county  that  was  formerly  part  of  the  bottoms  of 
the  old  lakes.  Sandy  soil  is  found  in  connection  with  the  abandoned 
shore  lines  in  many  places  in  the  county,  but  particularly  in  the  west 
and  north.  Sandy  soil  is  also  found  along  the  shore  and  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  county  in  the  water  and  land  moraines  (2) .  The 
water  moraine  was  formed  of  rather  fine  sand  carried  by  the  water 
from  the  melting  edge  of  the  glacier  and  dropped  in  the  water  of  the 
lake.  In  the  land  moraine,  where  the  material  was  not  carried  by  the 
water,  but  was  left  directly  on  the  surface  by  the  melting  ice,  the  sand 
is  mixed  with  clay,  gravel  and  some  boulders.  There  are  also  many 
places  in  the  county  where  muck  soil  has  been  formed  in  the  former 
swamps.  Some  of  these  cover  quite  a  large  area,  and  may  be  com- 
pared to  similar  beds  of  muck  now  forming  in  places  near  the  bay 
shore  and  along  the  river. 

Over  all  this  variety  of  soils  and  mixed  with  them,  there  is  a  layer 
of  black  soil  or  humus  formed  by  the  decaying  vegetable  matter  during 
the  ages  when  the  county  was  covered  by  forests,  prairies  and  swamps. 
This,  mixed  with  the  other  soil,  gives  clay-loam  and  sandy-loam  of 
many  grades  and  makes  it  possible  to  raiise  an  unusually  great  variety 
of  farm  products  in  Bay  County  successfully. 


(1)  Cooper,  page  350,  351. 

(2)  Map,  Leverett,  1911,  shown  by  dark  and  lig-ht  bluish  strips. 


12         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

REFERENCES. 

MicMgan  Geological  Report  on  Bay  County,  19  05 — W.  F.  Cooper. 

The  Glacial  and  Postglacial  Lakes  of  the  Great  Lakes  Region — Frank  B. 
Taylor.     From  the  Smithsonian  Report  for  1912,  pages  2  91-3  2  7. 

Economic  and  Social  Beginnings  of  Michigan — Fuller.  Mich.  Hist.  Pub. 
1916. 

Michigan  Geography — L.  H.  Wood. 

Tarr  and  McMurry  II,  pages  1-13. 

Tarr  and  McMurry  Michigan  Supplement — Parkins  and  Stickle. 

Dodge  Michigan  Supplement — Mark  Jefferson. 

Brigham  and  McFarlane  Michigan  Supplement— E.  C.  Warriner. 

Tackabury's  Atlas  of  Michigan — Walling.  1873.  Topography  and 
Geology — Winchell. 

MAPS. 

Map  of  the  Surface  Formations  of  the  Southern  Peninsula — Frank  Leverett, 
1911.     Michigan  Geological  Survey. 

Glacial  Map  of  Southern  Peninsula  of  Michigan — Leverett  and  Taylor,  1914. 
Michigan  Geological  Survey, 

,  Geological  Map  of  Michigan — Allen,  Smith    and    Barrett,  1916.     Michigan 
Geological  Survey. 


Chapter  III.— CLIMATE 


HE  climate  of  this  section,  as  is  true  with  other  places,  is  de- 
termined mostly  by  our  latitude  or  distance  away  from  the 
equator.  We  are  about  half  way  between  the  equator  and  the 
north  pole.  This  position  gives  us  a  temperate  climate  with 
the  four  seasons.  It  affords  us  a  growing  season  of  about 
five  months  between  killing  frosts,  and  with  an  extra  long  day  during 
this  growing  season — much  longer  than  in  places  nearer  the  equator. 
Our  longest  day  is  about  fifteen  hours.  This  gives  so  much  sunlight 
that  it  helps  the  crops  to  ripen  before  the  frosts.  The  short  nights 
also  help  to  prevent  killing  frosts  on  the  cold  nights  in  late  spring  and 
early  fall. 

The  latitude  also  places  us  in  the  wind  belt  called  the  Prevailing 
Westerlies,  with  the  winds  from  some  westerly  direction  about  two- 
thirds  of  the  time.  The  storm  centers  or  cyclonic  storms  so  common 
in  the  belt  of  Prevailing  Westerlies  have  their  usual  effect  here.  These 
storms,  which  generally  pass  across  the  country  from  west  to  east, 
have  winds  blowing  toward  the  center  from  all  directions.  During 
the  first  part  of  the  storm  as  it  passes  a  place  such  as  Bay  County,  the 
winds  are  usually  from  an  easterly  direction  and  so  may  bring  rain 
from  the  Atlantic  Ocean — for  the  storm  area  often  extends  over  many 
hundreds  of  miles.    After  a  time,  as  the  storm  moves  farther  east  the 


CLIMATE. 


13 


wind  shifts  to  the  north  or  south.  If  to  the  south,  more  rain  may  be 
brought,  this  time  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  there  is  likely  to  be  a 
rise  in  temperature.  Still  later,  perhaps  two  or  three  days  after  the 
beginning  of  the  storm,  the  wind  shifts  to  the  west,  bringing  fair 
weather  and  in  winter  perhaps  extreme  cold. 

Do  not  think  that  these  storms  are  always  severe.  Frequently 
such  a  storm  center  will  pass  over  us  and  we  will  hardly  notice  it  as 
the  winds  are  light,  and  it  may  be  accompanied  by  little  or  no  rain. 
At  other  times  some  of  our  severest  wind  or  snow  storms  may  be  the 
result  of  such  a  storm  center. 


Note:     1.   Direction  of  wind  toward  center;    2.   Area  covered  by  storm;    3.   Rain  in 
storm  area  indicated  by  shading;    4.   Clear  weather  west  of  storm  area. 

Bay  County  is  seldom  visited  by  really  destructive  winds.  This 
is  explained  by  some  as  being  due  to  the  fact  that  we  are  located  in 
that  low  lake  bottom  with  much  higher  land  around  us  so  that  the 
severest  part  of  the  wind  is  said  to  pass  above  us. 

Winds  frequently  come  up  the  Mississippi  River  valley,  reaching- 
us  and  causing  rain  and  at  the  same  time  warm  weather.  People  who 
have  long  noticed  weather  changes  have  found  that  winds  from  the 
east,  including  the  northeast  and  southeast,  are  much  more  Hable  to 
bring  rain  than  are  other  winds,  and  that  very  frequently  our  severe 
snow  storms  come  from  the  northeast.    This  may  be  in  part  because 


14         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

these  easterly  winds  have  blown  over  Lake  Huron  and  Saginaw  Bay, 
but  more  probably  because  they  are  moisture  laden  winds  from  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.  \ 

The  rainfall  in  Bay  County  averages  from  thirty  to  thirty-five 
inches  a  year.  If  all  this  came  at  one  time  the  water  would  be  from 
two  to  two  and  one-half  feet  deep.  Fortunately  it  does  not  come  at  one 
time,  but  is  usually  quite  well  distributed  throughout  the  four  seasons, 
with  plenty  during  the  spring  and  summer  growing  season,  about  the 
same  in  the  fall,  and  the  least,  a  little  more  than  half  as  much  as  in 
each  of  the  other  seasons,  in  the  winter.  While  there  are  seasons  with 
more  rain  than  is  good  for  the  crops,  and  others  with  not  enough  for 
the  best  results,  as  a  rule  the  rain  is  distributed  so  that  the  crops  aver- 
age well.  It  may  seem  strange,  but  the  records  show  it  to  be  true, 
that  there  is  usually  a  greater  amount  of  rainfall  during  the  year  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  county  than  in  the  northern  part.  (1) 

Our  climate  as  determined  by  latitude  is  not  changed  by  other 
conditions  nearly  so  much  as  is  the  case  with  many  other  places  in  the 
United  States  or  in  other  countries.  We  are  not  so  near  the  ocean  as 
to  have  oceanic  climate  with  an  extra  amount  of  rainfall  and  a  nar- 
row range  of  temperature  on  account  of  warm  winters  and  cool  sum- 
mers. In  fact  we  have  quite  a  wide  range  of  temperature  from  the 
coldest  night  in  the  winter  which  generally  comes  in  February,  to  the 
hottest  day  in  summer  in  July  or  August.  In  the  year  1916  there  was 
a  range  of  126°  (2)  from  22°  on  February  14  to  104°  on  July  30.  It  is 
seldom  that  the  range  is  as  great  as  this,  however.  Although  our  posi- 
tion, then,  gives  us  a  range  of  temperature  of  from  110°  to  120°  in 
most  years,  yet  we  are  not  so  far  inland,  away  from  all  effects  of  the 
ocean  winds,  as  to  have  continental  climate  of  the  extreme  kind  with 
very  severe  winters  and  very  hot  summers,  as  is  the  case  with  inland 
states  such  as  Minnesota  and  the  Dakotas  where  the  range  is  probably 
from  10°  to  20°  greater  than  here.  It  is  true  that  our  nearness  to  the 
water  frequently  causes  a  damp,  raw  cold  that  may  be  more  chilling 
than  the  dry  cold  of  a  much  lower  temperature  in  those  interior  states. 

Again,  our  height  above  the  sea — altitude — is  so  slight  that  our 
average  temperature,  about  forty-five  degrees,  is  not  lowered,  nor  is 
the  rainfall  increased  as  is  true  of  some  high  places  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  There  are  no  high  mountains  nearby  to  protect  us  from 
cold  north  winds  in  winter,  as  is  Italy  by  the  Alps  Mountains,  nor  to 
take  the  moisture  from  the  winds  before  they  reach  us,  as  in  places 
just  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  parts  of  Utah  and  Nevada. 


(1)  See  Rainfall  Map,  page  16,  Map  No.  4. 

(2)  Cllmatolog-ical  Data.  1916. 


CLIMATE. 


15 


But  although,  as  we  have  just  seen,  our  climate  is  not  affected 
'directly  by  any  oceans  or  mountains,  there  is  one  fact  regarding  our 
position  that  does  affect  the  ge^neral  climate,  especially  the  tempera- 
ture, quite  decidedly.  That  is  our  location  in  the  Great  Lakes  region, 
■on  the  shore  of  Saginaw  Bay.  We  can  see  more  clearly  what  this  effect 
is  if  we  compare  our  temperature  in  winter  and  summer  with  a  few 
other  places  in  almost  the  same  latitude.  Let  us  take  Mount  Pleasant 
in  the  interior  of  the  Lower  Peninsula;  Ludington,  which  is  a  little 
north  of  us  on  the  Michigan  shore  of  Lake  Michigan ;  and  Sioux  Falls 
in  South  Dakota,  over  400  miles  from  Lake  Michigan.  (1)  The  figures 
in  the  following  diagram  are  actual  for  all  except  Sioux  Falls,  which 
are  merely  estimates  of  what  would  perhaps  be  true  under  similar 
weather  conditions. 


South  ^  Minnesota   [    Wisconsin 
Dakota 

.1 


Nebraska 


Sioux  Falls. 

Jan.  11,  1917  (2)     (—25°) 
June  30,  1917..      (     90 '0 


Ludington.  Mt.  Pleasant.     Bay  City. 
_lo  _i4o  _4o    (3) 

74°  80°  81° 


EFFECT  OF  THE  GREAT  LAKES 

Thus  we  see  that  places  in  the  Great  Lakes  region  are  cooler  in 
summer  and  warmer  in  winter  than  places  like  Sioux  Falls  that  are 
located  in  the  interior  and  awaj^  from  the  Great  Lakes.  We  also  see 
that  Ludington,  getting  the  full  benefit  of  the  Prevailing  Westerly 
winds  from  off  Lake  Michigan,  has  its  temperature  affected  by  its 
location  much  greater  than  does  either  Bay  City  or  Mount  Pleasant. 
And  while  Bay  City  and  Mount  Pleasant  have  about  the  same  summer 
temperatures,  the  latter  usually  has  more  severe  temperatures  in  win- 
ter than  Bay  City.  It  would  seem  that  our  summer  resorts  along  the 
bay  shore  were  due  more  to  the  recreational  opportunities  of  bathing 
and  boating  rather  than  to  any  decided  difference  in  temperature  from 
places  in  the  state  some  distance  inland. 


(1)  See  map. 

(2)  Michigan  Climato]og-ical  Data  for  Januarj^  and  June,  1917, 

(3)  The  sign — before  a  number  of  degrees  means  below  zero. 


16 


BAY     COUNTY,     PAST     AND     PRESENT, 


■sfHARUVOlA. 


/    LtLLANAU 

i  ^'0 


AVERAGE   TEMPEHAEUBE 

PREVAlLIi;G   WINDS 

Cecember  1916. 


PH.SVA1LI1IG  3/1  N&S 
June  1SI7 


CLIMATE.  17 

In  the  spring  this  effect  of  the  lakes  on  temperature  tends  to  keep 
the  land  near  the  water  cool.  This  keeps  vegetation  from  getting  too 
early  a  start,  making  it  less  liable  to  damage  from  frosts.  In  the  fall, 
cold  weather  is  delayed  by  warm  lake  winds,  giving  crops  a  better 
chance  to  ripen  before  severe  frosts  come. 

Our  location  at  the  head  of  Saginaw  Bay  and  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Saginaw  River  has  an  interesting  effect  on  the  level  of  the  water. 
Very  low  water  in  the  river  and  along  the  bay  shore  may  result  from 
a  strong  southwest  wind.  And  in  case  of  a  very  strong  northeast 
wind,  the  water  from  Lake  Huron  is  crowded  into  the  bay  and  that  of 
the  bay  into  the  river,  so  that  the  current  may  be  up  stream  for  a  time, 
bringing  the  water  along  shore  and  in  the  river  to  a  high  stage.  Re- 
cently such  a  storm  caused  a  rise  of  from  three  to  four  feet  near  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  flooding  the  low  lands  and  doing  considerable  dam- 
age to  boats,  cottages  and  other  property  along  the  bay  shore  and  river 
front. 


REFERENCES. 

Michigan  Geological  Report  on  Bay  County,  1905 — W.    F.    Cooper.    Pages 
356-364. 

Michigan  Geographies — See  references  for  Chapter  II. 

Economic  and  Social  Beginnings  of  Michigan — Fuller.     Michigan  Historical 
Publications,  1916. 

Tackabury's  Atlas  of  Michigan — Walling.     1873.     Climate — Winchell. 

Michigan    Climatological    Data — United    States     Weather    Bureau,    Grand 
Rapids. 


18 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Chapter  IV.— NATIVE  LIFE— VEGETATION 


HE  place  of  honor  among  the  forms  of  native  vegetation  in  the 
Saginaw  Valley  must  certainly  be  given  to  our  lost  forests, 
and  particularly  to  "Saginaw's  tall,  whispering  pines."  Be- 
fore the  white  man  took  possession,  there  were  immense 
stands  of  white  pine  over  the  greater  part  of  Bay  County.  But 

we  are  situated  on  the 
border  between  the  two 
great  forest  belts  of  the 
northeastern  part  of  the 
United  States,  with  the 
pine  forests  on  the  north 
and  the  hardwood  forests 
on  the  south.  This  posi- 
tion of  ours  between  the 
two  belts,  combined  with 
the  fact  that  there  is  a 
great  variety  of  soils  in 
the  county,  gave  us  many 
other  native  forest  trees 
besides  the  white  pine. 

There  are  about  eighty 
varieties  of  trees  native 
to  Michigan,  and  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  a  large 
majority  of  these  were  to 
be  found  in  the  Saginaw 
Valley  in  the  early  days. 
There  were  the  white 
and  Norway  pine,  the  fir, 
spruce,  cedar,  hard  and  soft  maple,  oak,  hickory,  tamarack,  birch,  elm 
and  numerous  other  kinds  of  both  the  cone  bearing  evergreen  trees, 
and  the  deciduous  trees  that  shed  their  leaves  each  fall. 

Tamarack  and  cedar  were  to  be  found  in  the  swampy  places ;  the 
oak  and  other  hardwood  on  the  heavy  clay  soil,  and  the  pine  in  the 
lighter  sandy  soil.  But  while  this  was  true  as  a  rule,  these  different 
varieties  were  often  found  growing  close  together.  For  instance,  it  is 
said  that  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  near  Midland  street,  before  1864, 
there  was  a  beautiful  grove  of  oaks,  interspersed  with  pines.  The  oak 
trees  resembled  in  size  and  appearance  those  of  "oak  openings,"  with 
less  shade  than  in  the  usual  oak  forests  and  with  plenty  of  open  space 


Saginaw's  Tall,  Whispering  Pines. 


NATIVE     LIFE  —  VEGETATION.  19 

for  the  growth  of  beautiful  shrubs  and  flowers.  Such  "oak  openings" 
were  more  common  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state.  This  particular 
grove  of  oak  and  pine  presented  a  delightful  scene  and  a  very  desirable 
site  for  dwellings. 

According  to  accounts  of  explorers,  fur  traders  and  early  settlers 
there  were  many  kinds  of  wild  fruits  growing  in  the  Saginaw  Valley. 
Captain  Carver,  (1)  traveling  through  the  Great  Lakes  region  in  1766, 
just  after  the  English  gained  control,  found  the  grape,  mulberry,  crab 
apple,  plum,  and  cherry.  These,  together  with  blackberries,  black  and 
red  raspberries,  strawberries,  cranberries,  and  huckleberries  were 
found  by  the  early  settlers  in  abundance  (2.) 

Today  we  find  little  to  indicate  the  former  presence  of  these  great 
forests.  A  few  oak,  maple,  elm,  and  others  remain  to  help  make  Bay 
City  noted  for  its  shade  trees,  and  the  farmers  have  their  wood  lots 
with  some  of  the  less  valuable  trees  left  standing.  There  are  not  even 
extensive  "woods"  now,  in  any  of  the  townships,  from  which  timber  of 
any  particular  value  can  be  taken. 

Of  course  in  the  dense  forests  were  to  be  found  innumerable  wild 
flowers,  nut  bearing  shrubs,  other  bushes  of  many  varieties,  vines, 
ferns  and  mosses  (3.)  Most  of  the  flowers  are  to  be  found  now  to 
some  extent  in  the  parts  of  the  county  that  are  still  wooded,  and  we 
enjoy  gathering  such  as  the  Jack-in-the-pulpit,  honeysuckle,  trillium 
and  many  others,  on  our  spring  trips  to  the  woods.  But  many,  such 
as  the  sweet-scented,  hiding,  trailing  arbutus,  have  practically  disap- 
peared from  the  county.  This  is  also  true  of  the  nut-bearing  shrubs 
as  the  hazlenut,  and  the  berries  have  mostly  given  place  to  the  cultiva- 
ted varieties,  though  the  wild  kinds  are  stiill  found  iin  great  quan- 
tities in  the  more  northern  counties. 

But  do  not  think  that  the  entire  county  was  covered  with  the 
forests.  There  were  low  areas,  particularly  near  the  bay  and  along 
the  river,  extending  up  toward  Saginaw,  that  were  "wet  prairie"  lands, 
marshes  and  swamps.  Here  were  to  be  found  tall  prairie  and  swamp 
grass,  and  wild  flowers  that  love  the  open  fields — such  as  the  wild  sun- 
flower, the  black-eyed  Susan,  the  goldenrod,  blueflag,  and  wild  rose. 
Here  also  were  the  reeds,  rushes,  cat-tails  and  wild  rice. 

The  list  of  native  vegetables  includes  maize  or  Indian  corn,  pota- 
toes, turnips,  beans,  squash,  pumpkins  and  melons  (4.)  The  potatoes 
must  have  been  very  plentiful  iin  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  for 


(1)  Carver's  Travels,  502. 

(2)  VII.  254-256. 

(3)  Captain  Carver's  Travels,  505-521. 

(4)  Carver  522,  also  II.  487. 


20         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

the  name  Pinconning,  or  0-pin-a-kan-ning,  meant  "a  place  to  get  wild 
potatoes  (1.)  The  Indian  corn  had  been  unknown  in  Europe,  and  in 
Carver's  Travels,  a  very  interesting  book  now  136  years  old,  we  find  it 
described  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  have  never  seen  it,  as  follows : 
"Maize  or  Indian  corn  grows  from  six  to  ten  feet  high,  on  a  stalk  full 
of  joints,  which  is  stiff  and  solid,  and  when  green,  abounding  with  a 
sweet  juice.  The  leaves  are  like  those  of  the  reed,  about  two  feet  in 
length,  and  three  or  four  inches  broad.  The  flowers,  which  are  pro- 
duced at  some  distance  from  the  fruit  on  the  same  plant,  grow  like  the 
ears  of  oats,  and  are  sometimes  white,  yellow,  or  of  a  purple  colour. 
The  seeds  are  as  large  as  peas,  and  like  them  quite  naked  and  smooth, 
but  of  a  roundish  surface,  rather  compressed.  One  spike  generally 
consists  of  about  six  hundred  grains,  which  are  placed  closely  to- 
gether in  rows  to  the  number  of  eight  or  ten,  and  sometimes  twelve." 
(2)  Most  of  the  vegetables  named  were  cultivated  by  the  Indians  pre- 
vious to  any  white  influence. 

REFERENCES. 

Michigan  Geography — ^Woods.     Pages  64-74. 

Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Collections.  See  list  under  Vegetation  in 
the  Appendix. 

Travels  through  the  Interior  Parts  of  North  America,  in  the  Years  1766, 
1767,  and  1768 — by  J.  Carver.     Published  1781.     Sage  Library. 

Memoirs  of  a  Half  Century — Bela  Hubbard.     Page  73,  also  pages  369,  415. 

Economic  and  Social  Beginnings  of  Michigan — Fuller.     Page  44. 


Chapter  V.— NATIVE  LIFE— ANIMALS 

ENSE  forests,  open  woods,  prairies,  swamps,  marshes,  forest 
streams,  the  broad  river,  bayous,  and  the  bay — what  a  won- 
derful home  this  offered  for  animal  life !  Probably  no  place 
in  Michigan  was  better  able  to  support  wild  animals  of  all 
varieties  belonging  to  the  temperate  belt  of  climate  than  the 
Saginaw  Valley.  The  waters  were  teeming  with  fish  and  other  animals. 
The  whitefish  and  sturgeon,  the  trout,  perch,  sunfish,  bass,  pike,  bull- 
heads, suckers,  and  many  other  varieties  were  to  be  found  in  the  river, 
streams  and  bay.  Some  preferred  the  deep,  open  water,  others  the 
deep  pools  along  the  banks  of  the  rivers,  and  some  made  their  home 
among  the  rushes  and  weeds.  Of  food  there  was  an   abundance — if 


(1)  VII.  277. 

(2)  Carver's  Travels,  522. 


NATIVE     LIFE  —  ANIMALS.  21 

they  were  not  fish-cannibals,  eating  other  varieties  of  fish,  as  most  of 
them  were,  then  they  found  plenty  of  worms,  insects  and  other  low 
forms  of  life  just  as  plentiful. 

Sherman  Stevens,  a  pioneer  of  Flint,  visited  Saginaw  Bay  before 
any  settlements  were  started  at  Bay  City.  He  reached  the  bay  after  a 
very  cold  and  tiresome  trip  on  foot  through  the  forests.  After  get- 
ting some  much  needed  food  from  a  squaw  in  an  otherwise  deserted 
Indian  camp,  he  went  to  the  shore  to  discover  the  cause  of  all  the  shout- 
ing and  laughter  that  he  could  hear  from  the  camp.  He  found  the  In- 
dians fishing  in  a  very  odd  way,  and  says  that  the  following  is  true  in 
all  details :  "The  night  before  had  been  still  and  cold  and  had  frozen 
the  ice  hard  enough  to  bear  for  a  mile.  The  water  beneath  it  was  but 
a  foot  or  two  in  depth,  with  a  white  sand  bottom ;  and  men,  women, 
and  children  were  chasing  fish  in  all  directions.  They  frequently  came 
in  collision,  knocking  each  other  over,  when  they  would  up  again  and 
after  the  fish  which,  if  followed  sharply  for  a  hundred  yards  or  so, 
would  give  up,  turn  over  on  its  back,  and  could  then  be  taken  out 
through  a  hole  in  the  ice.  Before  noon  the  Indians  had  secured  an 
immense  pile — I  think  over  a  ton — including  almost  every  variety  of 
fish  found  in  Lake  Huron — sturgeon,  salmon,  trout,  muskallonge,  pike, 
pickerel,  bass,  etc.  This  style  of  fishing  was  to  me  a  revelation,  and  I 
put  on  a  pair  of  skates  and  tried  my  hand  at  it.  I  skated  about  for  a 
few  minutes  when  I  espied  a  trout  of  at  least  twenty  pounds,  and  took 
after  him.  I  chased  him  less  than  five  minutes,  when  he  succumbed, 
turning  on  his  back,  and  I  landed  him  safe  on  the  ice."  (1) 

There  were  other  animals  besides  the  fish  that  lived  in  the  water 
— the  frog,  the  innocent  mud  turtle  and  the  great  snapping  turtle,  the 
muskrat  and  beaver.  What  a  grand  frog  chorus  there  must  have  been 
on  a  spring  evening  in  those  days !  Of  these  animals  the  beaver  is 
probably  the  most  interesting  because  of  his  strange  habits.  "They 
are  very  proficient  in  building  dams  of  sticks,  mud  and  small  stones 
across  small  streams  for  the  purpose  of  backing  up  water  and  making 
'beaver  ponds.'  In  the  border  of  these  ponds  a  conical  lodge  is  usually 
constructed  of  sticks  and  mud.  It  is  several  feet  high  and  about  eight 
or  ten  feet  across  at  the  base.  The  entrance  is  usually  under  water, 
and  a  passageway  leads  to  an  interior  chamber  large  enough  to  accom- 
modate the  pair  and  their  well-grown  young.    Beavers  live  almost  en- 


(1)  VII.  97,  9S.  Mr.  Theodore  Tromble,  who  has  been  engaged  in  fishing  on  the 
bay  for  lifty-six  3'oars,  says  he  wouldn't  have  thought  that  a  flsh  could  be  tired  out 
so  quickly,  but  he  isn't  sure  of  this.  He  says  the  story  is  certainly  correct  as  to  the 
quantity,  kinds,  and  size  of  the  fish,  and  also  as  to  seeing  them  through  the  ice. 


22         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

tirely  on  twigs  and  bark,  and  their  gnawing  powers  are  surprising." 
(1) 

There  were  reptiles  in  the  swamps  and  forests — the  rattlesnake, 
blacksnake,  adder,  gartersnake,  watersnake,  and  many  kinds  of 
lizards.  Most  of  them  were  harmless  and  timid,  but  some,  especially 
the  deadly  rattlesnake,  were  greatly  feared  by  the  pioneer — ^the  rattler 
in  spite  of  the  polite  warning  it  always  gave  before  attempting  to 
strike. 

The  worst  pest  that  the  early  settlers  had  to  deal  with,  however, 
was  the  mosquito.  When  we  think  of  the  trouble  that  insect  causes  us 
today  in  spite  of  our  well-drained  lands,  we  can  imagine  to  some  ex- 
tent what  it  must  have  been  like  in  those  days  of  swamps  and  marshes. 
The  lower  part  of  the  Saginaw  Valley  was  given  credit  at  that  time 
for  producing  a  particularly  large  and  hungry  variety,  though  in  fact 
all  Michigan  was  much  the  same  in  this  respect. 

Wild  fruit,  berries,  seeds,  insects,  and  fish  furnished  a  wonderful 
daily  banquet  for  the  bird  life.  There  were  the  birds  with  beautiful 
plumage  and  sweet  song,  and  there  were  birds  with  neither  one.  The 
woodpecker,  meadowlark,  native  song  sparrow,  swallow,  catbird, 
blackbird,  gull,  and  many  others  familiar  to  us  today  were  here,  but  in 
far  greater  numbers.  Some  that  were  common,  very  common,  in 
those  wild  days  have  almost,  or  quite,  disappeared  with  the  disappear- 
ing forests  and  swamps.  Among  these  are  to  be  named  the  owl,  part- 
ridge, wild  turkey,  wild  goose,  wild  duck,  wild  pigeon,  heron,  and  the 
several  kinds  of  hawks.  Great  flocks  of  wild  pigeons  used  to  fairly 
darken  the  sun  for  hours  at  a  time,  while  now  that  particular  kind  of 
pigeon  is  extinct.  This  passenger  pigeon  was  about  the  size  of  the 
usual  tame  pigeon,  was  bluish  in  color,  and  had  two  long  pointed  tail 
feathers.  One  of  the  most  puzzling  questions  to  the  pioneer  is  "how 
could  they  become  extinct  when  they  were  here  just  a  few  years  ago 
in  such  immense  flocks?" 

Just  as  interesting  as  the  animals  of  the  water  and  air,  and  far 
more  important  in  those  early  days,  were  the  land  animals  of  the  forest 
and  prairies.  The  butfalo,  moose,  and  elk  roamed  along  the  shores  of 
the  Great  Lakes  and  were  undoubtedly  occasionally  to  be  found  in  the 
Saginaw  Valley,  though  they  are  seldom  mentioned  by  the  early  set- 
tlers. The  bear,  wolf,  deer,  fox,  otter,  wolverine,  wildcat,  and  fisher — 
along  with  the  muskrat  and  beaver  mentioned  with  the  water  animals 
— were  chief  among  those  that  attracted  the  attention  of  the  settlers 


(1)      National  Geographic  Magazine,  Noveni.ber,   1916,  p.   444.) 


NATIVE     LIFE  —  ANIMALS.  23 

— either  because  of  their  value  for  food  or  fur,  or  else  on  account  of 
their  troublesome  natures. 

The  black  bear,  usually  timid  and  harmless,  delighted  in  a  variety 
of  food,  from  ants  and  berries  to  honey  and  pigs.  Much  preferring  to 
run  away  when  a  human  being  was  encountered,  yet  he  was  a  powerful 
beast  and  was  dangerous  when  wounded  or  when  forced  to  protect  his 
cubs.  His  usual  harmlessness  is  shown  by  an  incident  in  the  pioneer 
life  of  Mrs.  Cornelia  Moots.  She  was  going  out  Midland  Road  in  the 
direction  of  Willard  to  get  her  sister,  who  was  a  school  teacher  in  that 
vicinity.  While  passing  through  a  blackberry  patch  a  large  black 
bear  walked  leisurely  out  into  the  road  ahead  of  her.  The  horse  prick- 
ed up  his  ears,  and  the  driver,  who  had  nothing  with  which  to  protect 
herself,  began  to  wonder  what  she  should  do  if  the  bear  started  after 
them.  But  evidently  Mr.  Bruno  enjoyed  the  sight  of  the  horse  and 
driver  about  as  much  as  the  young  lady  enjoyed  the  sight  of  him.  At 
any  rate  he  quickened  his  slow  pace  and  disappeared  into  the  woods. 
The  next  day  a  large  bear,  thought  to  have  been  the  same  one,  was 
killed  near  the  place  where  Mrs.  Moots  had  seen  him. 

The  wolf  was  probably  the  most  troublesome  of  all  these  wild 
animals.  There  were  great  numbers  of  them,  and  they  could  never  be 
trusted.  When  hungry  they  would  attack  man,  and  they  preyed  on  the 
pigs,  sheep,  and  other  domestic  animals  brought  in  by  the  settlers,  and 
on  the  deer  and  other  desirable  wild  animals.  At  the  same  time,  their 
skins  were  of  little  value.  It  is  no  wonder  that  the  government  very 
early  put  a  high  price  on  the  head  of  this  mischief  maker. 

The  awful  howling  of  the  wolves  was  often  heard  at  the  very 
doors  of  the  first  Bay  County  settlers.  Mader  Tromble  had  crossed  the 
river  one  day  in  winter  to  visit  his  neighbor,  Mr.  Compau,  in  Salzburg. 
Time  passed  so  rapidly  that  it  was  dark  before  Mr.  Tromble  realized 
it.  He  started  for  home  across  the  ice  and  at  the  Middleground  a  large 
pack  of  wolves  began  to  follow  him.  They  were  very  bold,  and  as  he 
was  without  his  gun,  he  had  great  difficulty  in  keeping  them  from  at- 
tacking him.  He  shouted  and  flourished  his  cane,  but  even  then  he 
would  probably  have  been  torn  to  pieces  by  the  snarling  beasts  had  he 
not  been  aided  very  greatly  by  his  two  faithful  Indian  dogs  that  were 
themselves  part  wolf.  He  finally  worked  his  way  across  the  Middle- 
ground  and  to  his  home.  When  he  went  in  to  get  his  gun,  the  cowardly 
wolves  quickly  disappeared.  The  wolf  is  still  to  be  found  in  parts  of 
the  Upper  Peninsula,  but  there  is  not  the  slightest  desire  to  preserve 
the  life  of  this  animal  for  the  future,  as  is  the  case  with  the  deer,  bear 
and  many  others. 


24 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT, 


The  deer  was  one  of  the  most  valuable  of  the  wild  animals,  both 
to  the  Indians  and  the  pioneers.  F.  W.  Nelson,  in  the  National 
Geographic  Magazine  for  November,  1916,  says:  "The  supreme  im- 
portance of  this  deer  to  the  early  settlers  of  the  Eastern  States  is  made 
plain  in  all  the  literature  covering  the  occupation  of  that  region.  Its 
flesh  was  one  of  the  most  reliable  staples  in  the  food  supply,  and  not 
infrequently  was  the  only  resource  against  starvation.  In  addition, 
the  tanned  skins  served  for  clothing  and  the  sinews  for  thread.  Many 
of  the  most  striking  and  romantic  characters  in  our  early  history  ap- 
pear clad  in  buckskin,  from  fringed  hunting  shirt  to  beaded  mocca- 
sins." 


Wolverine. 


Michigan  has  been  nicknamed  the  ''Wolverine  State"  because  the 
wolverine  was  so  plentiful  within  its  borders.  It  gets  its  name  from 
its  wolfish  habits,  but  it  belongs  to  the  weasel  family.  It  is  the  largest 
of  that  family,  being  from  two  to  three  feet  long.  It  is  a  "low,  squat, 
heavy-bodied  animal"  and  its  sharp  claws,  powerful  build,  and  its  per- 
sistence and  cunning,  make  it  a  dangerous  enemy  for  much  larger 
animals  and  even  for  man.  "It  frequently  trails  trappers  along  their 
trap  lines,  eating  or  destroying  their  catches  and  at  times  hiding  their 
traps.  A  wolverine  has  often  been  known  to  expend  a  surprising 
amount  of  labor  in  apparently  deliberate  mischief,  even  carrying 
numerous  articles  away  from  camps   and   hiding   them   in    different 


NATIVE  LIFE — FIRST  EVIDENCES  OF  HUMAN  LIFE.  25 

places."  (1)  Both  because  of  these  bad  habits  and  on  account  of  its 
handsome  brown  fur,  the  wolverine  was  driven  out  of  this  region  very 
early,  but  it  is  still  quite  numerous  in  northern  Canada  and  in  Alaska. 

Another  wolfish  animal — not  exactly  wild,  but  nearly  so,  and 
native  to  this  region — was  the  Indian  dog.  He  was  wolfish,  both  in 
looks  and  temper.  He  was  very  useful  in  the  hunt,  being  willing  to 
attack  even  the  largest  game,  and  was  faithful  to  his  master,  though 
very  troublesome  in  other  ways  on  account   of  his  fierce  nature.  (2) 

Almost  all  of  these  animals  have  entirely  disappeared  from  our 
county,  not  only  because  they  were  hunted  so  much  for  furs  and  meat, 
but  because  their  native  home — the  wooded  streams  and  the  forests — 
have  been  changed  into  drains  and  farm  lands. 

REFERENCES. 

Carver's  Travels,  pages  441  to  494. 

Michigan  Historical  Collections.     See  list  in  Appendix  under  Animals. 

National  Geographic  Magazine,  November,  1916. 

Memorials  of  a  Half-Century — Bela  Hubbard.     Pages  2  63  to  3  69. 

Economic  and  Social  Beginnings  of  Michigan — Fuller.     Pages  44  and  45. 

Michigan  Geography — Wood.     Chapter  VI. 


Chapter  VI.— NATIVE  LIFE  — FIRST  EVIDENCES 
OF  HUMAN  LIFE 

^00^HE   early    explorers,   furtraders,   and   settlers   have   left   us 

Tl  written  and  fairly  accurate  records  of  the  Indians  that  were 
here  when  they  came  to  this  region.  They  tell  us  of  Indian 
1^^  /  life — of  their  dealings  with  their  own  people  and  with  the 
^sizi^  white  people.  This  is  all  a  part  of  the  "history"  of  the  Saginaw 
Valley.  But  the  Indians  living  at  the  time  of  settlement — the  Chip- 
pewas — told  of  a  tribe  of  Indians  that  was  driven  out  because  of  their 
troublesome  nature,  and  either  killed  or  driven  westward — the  Sauk 
Indians.  The  story  of  how  this  was  done  was  handed  down  among  the 
Indians  from  father  to  son.  This  is  not  real  history,  as  it  is  hard  to 
tell  what  part  of  the  story  is  true  and  what  has  been  added  by  the 
story-teller,  especially  when  the  stories  of  the  same  event  contain 
statements  that  do  not  agree.  Such  an  account  is  "legendary  history." 
But  human  life  existed  in  the  Saginaw  Valley  long  before  the 
time  of  the  Chippewas  or  even  the  Sauks.    There  is  not  even  a  legend 


(1)  National  Geographic  Magazine,  November,  1916. 

(2)  Carver's  Travels,  p.  445. 


26         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

of  the  life  of  these  earliest  people.  We  know  of  their  existence  through 
the  study  of  what  has  been  left  of  their  tools,  weapons  and  skeletons. 
This  is  called  "archaeology"  and  it  is  by  means  of  this  study  that  we 
learn  of  the  Mound  Builders.  These  people  lived  in  various  parts  of 
North  America,  from  Mexico  to  Canada.  It  is  thought  that  Michigan 
was  on  the  edge  of  the  region  occupied  by  these  primitive  people. 

MOUND  BUILDERS. 

Many  mounds  and  ancient  garden  beds  have  been  found  through- 
out Michigan,  several  of  which  are,  or  were,  within  the  limits  of  our 
county  and  city.  The  mounds  were  usually  near  the  bank  of  a  stream, 
were  several  rods  long,  and  six  or  more  feet  high.  Some  of  them 
covered  two  or  three  acres.  They  were  often  chosen  by  the  settlers  as 
desirable  sites  for  locating  their  homes,  as  they  were  higher  than  the 
surrounding  land,  and  near  the  water.  Of  course  it  was  thought  at 
first  that  they  were  natural  hills — little  did  the  pioneers  dream  that 
they  were  living  above  numerous  interesting  relics  and  gruesome  skele- 
tons left  by  ancient  race.  It  was  not  until  a  well  was  dug,  a  cellar  ex- 
cavated, or  a  street  or  railroad  was  run  through  the  mound,  that  its 
true  nature  was  discovered. 

When  that  did  happen,  however,  the  fact  that  the  hills  were  made 
by  human  beings  instead  of  being  natural  was  shown  in  several  ways. 
Besides  the  things  found  in  the  mound,  the  soil  was  found  to  be  in 
layers  in  just  the  opposite  order  from  the  layers  of  the  surrounding 
land,  and  in  digging  through  the  mound  the  soil  of  the  original  sur- 
face was  reached.  It  was  then  noticed  that  each  mound  had  been 
scooped  up  from  the  side  away  from  the  river,  leaving  a  pond  or  low 
area  just  back  of  it  (1.) 

There  were  mounds  at  Twenty-fourth  and  at  Twenty-second 
streets  near  the  river,  on  the  east  side.  On  the  west  side  there  was 
one  where  the  Michigan  Central  roundhouse  was  located,  and  the  sand 
of  the  mound  was  used  for  railroad  purposes.  There  was  another  dis- 
covered when  Linn  street  was  laid  out  by  the  village  of  Wenona,  which 
was  probably  a  little  south  of  Midland  street.  And  still  another  lay 
farther  to  the  south  between  Midland  street  and  Salzburg.  This  was 
used  as  an  Indian  camping  ground  long  after  settlements  existed  across 
the  river  from  there. 

All  these  mounds  contained  skeletons,  stone  weapons,  broken 
pottery,  tools,  and  ornaments.  Many  of  these  prove  the  Mound  Build- 
ers to  have  been  different  from  the  Indians  of  history  or  legend,  and 
show  that  this  earlier  race  was  further  advanced  in  civilization  than 


(1)      IV.  379-383.  also  Gansser,  74-78. 


NATIVE  LIFE — FIRST  EVIDENCES  OF  HUMAN  LIFE. 


27 


28 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT, 


the  Chippewas.  Copper  kettles  and  other  copper  implements  were 
found  in  some  of  the  mounds,  showing  that  if  these  were  the  remains 
of  the  same  race,  they  knew  much  about  the  use  of  copper.  A  silver 
canoe,  well  made,  and  tipped  with  gold,  was  found  in  the  side  of  one 
mound,  but  this  was  probably  given  to  an  Indian  of  more  recent  times 
by  some  missionary  or  trader. 

The  head  carved  in  stone  and  shown  in  the  picture  of  Bay  County 
Indian  relics  was  found  in  a  mound  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kawkawlin 
river.  It  is  a  difficult  piece  of  work  well  done,  and  is  a  very  rare  speci- 
men, there  being  only  three  or  four  others  like  it  in  existence. 


REFERENCES. 

Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Collections. 
Mound  Builders. 

Bay  County  History,  1883.     Pages  3  2,  33. 
Bay  County  History  and  Biography — Gansser. 
Memorials  of  a  Half-Century — Bela  Hubbard. 


See  list    in    Appendix  under 


Pages  74-79. 
Pages  199-261. 


Riegel  School. 


NATIVE  LIFE— -LEGENDARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  SAUK  INDIANS. 


29 


Chapter  VII.— NATIVE  LIFE^LEGENDARY  HISTORY 
OF  THE  SAUK  INDIANS 


ONG  after  the  disappearance  of  the  Mound  Builders  from  the 
United  States  the  Saginaw  Valley  was  inhabited  by  a  warlike 
tribe  of  Indians  known  as  the  Sauks.  (1)  They  occupied 
the  central  part  of  the  Lower  Peninsula ;  the  Potawatomies, 
the   southern   part,   and   the    Chippewas   and   Ottawas,   the 

northern  part  of  the  state.  It  is 
from  the  Chippewa  name  0-Sauk- 
e-non,  meaning  "The  Land  of  the 
Sauks,"  that  the  name  of  the  river 
and  bay  was  obtained  by  the  first 
explorers.  (2) 

it  is  probable,  from  the  early 
reports,  that  the  Sauks  were  living 
here  even  when  the  first  explorers 
visited  the  valley.  (3)  At  any  rate, 
the  legend,  of  which  there  are  sev- 
eral different  accounts,  says  that 
they  caused  so  much  trouble  that 
the  other  tribes  finally  united  and 
drove  them  out  of  Michigan. 

Whether  this   action   resulted 
from     general     conditions,     or 
whether  it  came  as  a  result  of  an 
attack  by  the   Sauks  on   the  Chip- 
_  pewas   near    Traverse    Bay    when 

they  carried  off  an  Indian  and  his 
squaw,  making  slaves  of  them — at  any  rate  an  alliance  was  made 
between  the  Chippewas,  Ottawas,  Potawatomies  and  others,  and  they 
attacked  the  Sauks  from  several  directions  at  once.  One  army  came 
down  the  shore  of  Lake  Huron  and  Saginaw  Bay  to  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  Here  they  divided,  some  remaining  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river  and  others  crossing  to  the  east  side. 

At  this  point  the  stories  differ  again.    One  account  says  that  the 
Sauks,  having  gone  to  Skull  Island  to  celebrate  their  great  victory, 


(1)  The  word  Sauks  was  spelled  by  the  early  explorers  and  settlers  in  many 
different  ways — Sauks.  Saukies,  Sacs,  Saaks,  etc.  See  Micliigan  Pioneer  and  Historical 
Collections,  Index  Volume  to  Volumes  XVI-XXX,  p.  445. 

(2)  The  word  Saginaw  also  had  many  different  spellings  before  the  present  one 
was  finally  decided  on.     Some  of  these  were:     Sagina,  Saguina,  and  Saguinant. 

(3)  See  III.  648. 


30         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

were  in  ignorance  of  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  and  after  a  great 
feast  and  dance  they  went  to  sleep  in  supposed  safety.  In  the  mean- 
time spies  had  learned  about  their  condition  from  the  captive  squaw. 
Another  account  says  battles  were  fought  near  the  mouth  of  the  river 
in  which  the  Sauks  were  defeated.  They  retreated  up  the  river  and 
crossed  over  to  Skull  Island,  considering  it  a  secure  position.  But  a 
cold  night  furnished  the  enemy  with  a  bridge  of  ice. 

Whichever  version  is  correct,  it  is  evident  from  the  many  skulls 
that  were  found  there  a  century  or  more  later  by  the  white  settlers — 
causing  them  to  name  it  Skull  Island — that  a  great  battle  was  fought 
there.  All  the  legends  agree  that  the  battle  was  really  a  cruel  mas- 
sacre of  the  entrapped  Sauks,  and  that  few,  if  any,  escaped  the 
tomahawk,  spear,  and  arrow  of  the  enraged  allies.  (1.) 

Other  battles  occurred  near  Flint  and  at  other  points  on  the 
tributaries  of  the  Saginaw  between  other  branches  of  the  Sauk  tribe 
and  armies  of  the  allied  nations  coming  from  the  direction  of  Detroit. 
Some  accounts  state  that  the  Sauks  were  exterminated,  others  that 
twelve  families  were  spared  and  were  sent  west  to  the  Mississippi 
Valley,  where  they  were  placed  under  the  care  of  the  Sioux  (Soo) 
Indians,  an  entirely  different  tribe.  That  the  Sauk  tribe  did  not  be- 
come extinct,  but  was  forced  westward  into  northern  Wisconsin  near 
the  Mississippi  river,  seems  to  be  proven  by  the  many  references  to 
them  by  the  French  and  English.  When  they  were  exploring  the 
Great  Lakes  region  and  had  forts  at  various  points,  the  Sauks  along 
with  other  tribes,  would  go  to  them  for  supplies  and  presents.  (2) 
They  were  strong  enough  to  unite  with  the  tribe  called  the  Foxes  and 
cause  trouble  for  the  white  people.    (3)     (4) 

Knowing  as  we  do  from  these  later  reports  that  there  were  many 
of  the  Sauks  still  living  after  the  war  between  them  and  the  allied 
Indians,  we  are  not  surprised  to  learn  that  occasionally  a  Sauk  war- 
rior was  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  his  former  hunting  grounds.  But  the 
Chippewas,  believing  that  all  the  Sauks  had  been  disposed  of,  decided 
that  they  saw  the  spirits  of  the  massacred  Indians,   and  on   such  an 


(1)  For  the  location  of  Skull  Island,  see  niap  of  Bay  County.  It  was  not  in  the 
Saginaw  River,  but  in  the  mouth  of  Squaconning  Creek  which  flows  into  the  Saginaw 
just  south  of  Bay  City.  Stone  Island  is  a  short  distance  north  of  it,  and  Calf  Island 
south  of  it,  up  the  river  about  half  a  mile.  It  -was  separated  from  the  mainland  on 
the  west  by  a  narrow  and  shallov/  channel  -which  has  since  disappeared,  making 
Skull  Island  a  part  of  the  mainland.  Many  stone  weapons  and  other  Indian  remains 
have  been  found  on  the  north  end  of  Calf  Island,  leading-  some  to  believe  that  hard 
fighting  also  took  place  there. 

(2)  XXIII.  493. 

(3)  XIX.  397. 

(4)  Some  have  confused  the  skeletons  and  other  remains  of  the  Sauks  with  those 
found  in  the  mounds.  The  Sauk  remains  were  found  nearer  the  surface,  on  level 
places  as  well  as  in  the  mounds,  and  were  of  a  different  sort  from  the  remains  of 
the  much  earlier  Mound  Builders. 


NATIVE  LIFE — LEGENDARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  SAUK  INDIANS.         31 

occasion  they  would  flee  in  terror.  This  superstition  spread  and  soon 
the  Saginaw  Valley  was  known  as  the  Haunted  Valley  and  was  left 
quite  deserted  by  all  tribes.  Occasionally  some  Indian  who  refused  to 
live  peaceably  with  his  tribe,  or  one  who  had  committed  some  serious 
crime,  would  escape,  or  be  sent  as  punishment,  to  the  Haunted  Valley. 
These  warriors  no  doubt  found  a  grand  Indian  hunting  ground  wait- 
ing them — in  fact,  about  the  best  hunting  ground  in  the  country. 

There  were  many  salt  springs  near  the  head  of  the  Saginaw  river 
and  along  the  most  of  its  tributaries.  The  valley  in  time  "was  resorted 
to  by  the  Chippewas,  Potowatomies,  Hurons,  Ottawas,  the  Sacs  of  the 
Upper  Peninsula,  the  Fox  and  Illinois  tribes,  for  the  salt  which  that 
region  was  known  to  produce."  (1) 

Gradually  the  Indians  overcame  their  worst  fears  of  the  spirits, 
and  Indians  from  several  tribes  came  to  live  in  the  valley.  But  the 
old  superstition  never  really  lost  its  hold  on  them.  If  their  camps 
were  ever  robbed  in  some  mysterious  manner,  if  their  traps  were 
interfered  with,  or  if  they  saw  the  remains  of  a  Sauk  campfire,  they 
would  immediately  leave  the  neighborhood  without  investigating. 
They  would  declare  that  the  "Manesous,  or  bad  spirits  in  the  form  of 
Sauk  warriors,  were  hovering  around.  So  great  was  their  dread  that 
when — as  was  frequently  the  case — they  became  possessed  with  the 
idea  that  the  Manesous  were  in  their  immediate  vicinity,  they  would 
fly  as  if  for  their  lives,  abandoning  everything — wigwams,  fish,  game 
and  all  their  camp  equipage,  and  no  amount  of  ridicule  from  the 
whites  could  convince  them  of  their  folly.  Some  of  the  Indian  bands 
whose  country  joined  that  of  the  Saginaws,  played  upon  their  weak 
superstition  and  derived  profit  from  it  by  lurking  around  their  vil- 
lages or  camps,  frightening  them  into  flight  and  then  appropriating 
the  property  which  they  had  abandoned."  (2) 

REFERENCES. 

Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Collections.  See  list  in  Appendix  under 
the  Sauk  Indians. 

Gansser — Pages  2  8,  29,  32-3  7. 

Bay  County  History,  1883^^Pages  9-11. 

History,  Commercial  Advantages  and  Future  Prospects  of  Bay  City,  1875 — 
Henry  S.  Dow.     Pages  1-3. 

Thomas  and  Galatia's  Pioneer  Directory  of  the  Saginaw  Valley,  18  66  and 
1867.     Pages  33-38. 

Wah  Sash  Kah  Moqua.     Pages  82-89. 


(1)  XXII.  245. 

(2)  VIII.  249. 


32 


BAY     COUNTY,     PAST     AND     PRESENT. 


O 
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NATIVE  LIFE — THE  CHIPPEWA  INDIANS.  33 

Chapter  VIII.— NATIVE  LIFE. 

THE  CHIPPEWA  INDIANS. 

00^HE  majority  of  the  Indians  who  remained  and  made  their 
nn  j  homes  in  the  Saginaw  Valley  belonged  to  the  Chippewa, 
■*■  'I  also  known  as  the  Ojibway,  tribe.  Mingling  as  they  did  with 
several  other  tribes,  their  language  and  some  of  their  cus- 
toms differed  somewhat  from  the  more  northern  Chippewa 
Indians,  and  they  came  to  be  kno^vn  to  the  white  people  as  the  Sag- 
inaw Indians. 

They,  like  the  Ottawas,  Hurons,  Potawatomies,  Menominees  and 
others,  were  of  the  Algonquin  race,  and  although  they  frequently 
fought  these  other  tribes,  they  would  unite  with  them  against  a  com- 
mon enemy.  The  Saginaw  Valley,  probably  because  it  could  be  reach- 
ed easily  from  all  directions,  was  often  made  the  meeting  place  of 
councils  of  these  various  tribes.  The  last  great  tribal  meeting  was 
held  as  late  as  1865,  at  Wenona  Village,  about  three  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  river. 

This  was,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  preceding  chapters,  a  very 
favorable  place  for  the  Indians.  Fish  and  game  were  in  abundance. 
There  were  many  useful  food  plants — wild  rice  was  very  plentiful  in 
the  lowlands  of  the  river  valley,  and  potatoes  grew  in  quantities  in 
the  Pinconning  River  valley.  There  were  also  plenty  of  nuts  and 
fruits,  and  the  maple  trees,  especially  along  the  upper  tributaries, 
furnished  sap  for  sugar.  "The  forests  furnished  the  birch  for  canoes 
and  wigwams,  and  to  secure  the  flint  for  arrow-points,  spears  or 
knives,  the  aborigines  had  but  to  paddle  to  the  vicinity  of  Bay  Port  to 
find  plenty.  Material  for  axe,  chisel  or  tomahawk  was  abundant  on 
the  gravelly  bluffs  of  the  Flint,  the  Cass  and  the  Shiawassee  rivers." 
(1)  The  network  of  small  streams  flowing  into  these  tributaries  and 
also  into  the  Saginaw  itself,  uninterrupted  for  the  most  part  by  rapids, 
furnished  a  quick  and  easy  means  of  travel  and  communication.  The 
dense  forests  and  impenetrable  swamps  gave  the  Indians  a  safe  retreat 
from  the  enemy. 

As  a  result  of  these  favorable  conditions,  the  valley  became  one 
of  the  most  thickly  settled  parts  of  the  Great  Lakes  region.  There 
were  many  villages  on  the  Saginaw  and  its  branches,  and  on  other 
streams  flowing  into  Saginaw  Bay.  Although  the  Indians  would  take 
surprisingly  long  trips  for  war  or  hunting  purposes,  their  villages 
seem  to  have  been  quite  permanently  located.  The  largest  villages 
were  probably  up  the  river  where  the   several   tributaries   meet  and 


(1)     XXXIX.  253. 


34         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

form  the  Saginaw  River.  There  were  camping  grounds,  and  meeting 
places  for  war  and  for  religious  ceremonies  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
valley,  but  no  villages  were  located  here.  Along  the  bay,  however, 
near  the  mouths  of  the  Kawkawlin,  Saganing  and  Pinconning  rivers 
there  were  permanent  villages. 

The  Chippewa  is  described  as  tall,  athletic,  copperhued,  and  pic- 
turesquely dressed.  He  has  the  superstitions  common  to  the  Indian 
race.  His  god  or  the  Good  Spirit  is  Gitchie  Manitou  the  Mighty,  and 
the  Evil  Spirit  is  Matchie  Manitou.  (1)  The  early  settlers  found  him 
more  honest  and  reliable  than  the  average  white  man  (2)  though  his 
character  was  changed  by  contact  with  the  white  people,  and  parti- 
cularly by  the  white  man's  "fire-water."  Under  its  influence  he  be- 
came very  dangerous. 

Many  writers  have  described  the  Saginaw  Indians  as  quiet, 
peaceful,  and  very  easy  to  get  along  with.  This  was  probably  true  for 
the  period  of  settlement,  but  before  that  time  the  Saginaw  Indians 
were  known  as  warlike,  treacherous  and  very  troublesome.  (3)  They 
were  very  brave  and  could  withstand  great  suffering  without  the 
slightest  show  of  pain.  An  incident  in  the  life  of  the  great  and  well- 
known  Chief  0-ge-ma-ge-ga-to  well  illustrates  this :  "Once  when  two 
of  the  Chippewa  Indians  were  fighting  with  knives  and  spears,  0-ge- 
ma-ga-to  jumped  between  them  and  received  a  knife  thrust  in  his  side. 
He  lay  very  weak  for  quite  a  few  days  and  one  day — some  say  simply 
to  show  how  brave  he  was,  and  others  that  he  was  so  advised  by  the 
Indian  'medicine  man' — he  took  a  knife  and  cut  a  slice  off  his  liver 
which  was  protruding  from  the  wound,  put  it  on  the  fire  and  roasted 
it  and  ate  it."  (4) 

In  matters  of  government,  the  Indians  were  quite  democratic. 
The  chief  held  his  position  because  he  was  chosen  by  his  people  on  ac- 
count of  being  one  of  the  bravest  and  wisest  in  the  tribe.  He  did  not 
even  hold  his  position  for  life  if  he  proved  unworthy.  The  council 
held  as  late  as  1865,  mentioned  in  the  first  part  of  the  chapter,  was 
probably  the  one  described  in  the  following  account,  which  at  the 
same  time  gives  some  information  regarding  their  election  of  chiefs : 
"From  the  viaduct  to  Joseph  street,  and  between  the  river  and  Mar- 
quette street,  the  Indians  camped.  They  came  there  to  elect  chiefs 
for  each  tribe.  The  white  people  were  much  alarmed,  not  knowing 
what  they  were  there  for.    The  women  and  children  went  over  to  the 


(1)  Ridpath  VIII.  509. 

(2)  De  Tocqueville,  Memoirs  I.  163,  167. 

(3)  See  Chapter  IX.  for  details. 

(4)  From  an  account  by  one  of  the  pupils. 


NATIVE  LIFE — THE  CHIPPEWA  INDIANS.  35 

other  side  of  the  river  to  sleep,  and  for  a  time  picket  guards  guarded 
the  city.  There  was  a  party,  consisting  of  Joseph  Tromble,  of 
Bangor;  Mader  Tromble,  of  the  south  end,  and  Father  Schutjes,  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  who  went  to  see  the  chief  and  wanted  to  know 
why  so  many  Indians  were  gathered  there.  They  wanted  to  know  if 
they  were  going  to  massacre  the  citizens.  The  chief  said  it  was  all  a 
friendly  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  electing  a  chief  for  each  tribe. 
After  their  business  was  over,  they  quietly  disappeared."    (1) 

The  education  that  the  Indian  child  received  had  to  do  mostly 
with  the  body  and  the  character.  The  boy  learned  to  shoot,  trap,  and 
swim  at  a  surprisingly  early  age.  He  was  taught  to  endure  hardship 
without  a  murmur.  He  had  to  learn  to  make  the  canoe,  bow,  arrow, 
and  other  things  needed  for  his  future  occupations.  The  girl  learned 
to  make  mats,  baskets,  the  rude  Indian  clothing,  and  to  prepare  the 
game  and  other  food.  They  were  all  taught  to  have  respect  for  their 
father  and  for  old  age.  "Among  their  own,  it  was  a  great  crime  to 
steal  or  tell  a  lie,  but  to  an  enemy  it  was  right  to  do  so,  for  they  must 
be  injured  whenever  possible.  *  *  *  When  a  famous  chief  became 
too  old  to  indulge  in  the  chase,  or  to  go  on  the  war-path,  he  devoted  his 
time  to  exhorting  the  youths  of  his  tribe.  In  glowing  phrases  he 
would  recount  the  great  deeds  of  their  tribe.  Daily  the  children 
gathered  about  these  aged  chiefs  among  the  tepees  on  the  Saginaw, 
and  DeTocqueville  recites  how  they  urged  the  young  men  to  be  brave 
and  cunning  in  war,  and  to  defend  their  hunting  grounds  against  all 
encroachments."  (2) 

In  their  manner  of  living,  the  Saginaw  Indians  had  about  the 
same  customs  as  most  other  North  American  Indians.  "The  Indians 
of  this  part  of  the  country  built  their  homes  of  skins  and  long,  slender 
poles.  If  an  Indian  wanted  to  build  a  home  for  himself,  he  would 
save  all  the  skins  he  could  get.  Then  he  would  go  out  into  the  forest 
and  cut  down  three  or  four  saplings.  These  were  long  slender  trees 
which  were  used  by  all  northern  Indians.  He  then  cut  all  the  small 
branches  and  twigs  from  the  poles  and  stood  them  up  for  a  frame- 
work for  his  tent,  fastening  them  with  strips  of  leather  or  bark.  He 
then  covered  them  with  the  skins.  He  sometimes  sewed  designs  on  the 
side  of  the  tent.  Other  Indians  built  their  houses  out  of  bark.  They 
went  into  the  forest  and  cut  the  bark  off  from  several  large  trees  and 
then  built  their  home  something  like  what  we  call  a  shanty.  Many  of 
them  spread  the  bark  on  long  poles  in  much  the  same  way  as  the  skins 
were  used,  forming  a  wigwam.    These  wigwams  were  small — most  of 


(1)  From  an  account  by  one  of  the  pupils. 

(2)  Gansser,  39. 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


NATIVE  LIFE — THE  CHIPPEWA  INDIANS.  37 

the  work,  such  as  cooking,  cleaning  fish  and  animals  for  food,  grind- 
ing corn,  and  so  forth,  was  done  outside."  (1)  On  the  floor  of  the 
dwelling  were  rush  mats  made  by  the  squaws.  If  the  fire  was  made  in 
the  wigwam  at  any  time,  an  opening  was  made  near  the  top  on  the 
side  opposite  the  direction  from  which  the  wind  was  blowing  from 
which  the  smoke  could  escape. 

There  were  a  few  wooden  or  stone  dishes,  stone  knives  and  skin- 
ning stones  (2)  for  preparing  game  and  fish  for  cooking,  and  the 
weapons  were  the  usual  bow  and  arrow,  stone  tomahawk  and  spear. 
Of  course  after  coming  in  contact  with  the  white  people  they  were 
quick  to  make  use  of  the  white  man's  weapons  and  implements  of  iron 
and  steel — such  as  the  gun,  knife,  dagger,  and  axe.  But  the  stone 
weapons,  crude  and  dull  as  they  seem  to  us,  were  wonderfully  effec- 
tive when  in  the  grasp  of  a  skillful  and  powerful  Indian  brave. 

The  food  of  the  Indian  consisted  of  berries,  nuts,  potatoes  and 
several  other  kinds  of  roots,  corn,  beans,  squash,  maple  sugar,  wild 
rice,  and  all  kinds  of  fish  and  game.  Herbs  and  roots  of  many  varie- 
ties were  also  used,  and  with  very  good  results,  for  medicine. 

As  for  clothing,  the  Indians  cared  much  more  for  ornament  than 
for  real  clothing.  "The  garb  of  the  males,  during  warm  weather, 
consisted  simply  of  a  skirt  covering  the  loins,  while  their  heads  were 
adorned  with  feathers  of  various  hues.  When  the  weather  was  cold, 
they  usually  wrapped  themselves  in  the  skins.  The  robes  of  skins 
were  made  in  the  form  of  a  blanket  to  enable  the  wearer  to  readily 
cast  it  aside  if  the  necessity  of  the  chase  or  war  should  render  it  bur- 
densome." (3)  They  delighted  in  showy  or  unusual  ornaments,  such 
as  beads  made  from  shells,  feathers,  snake  skins,  porcupine  quills,  and 
bear's  claws. 

Indian  amusements,  w^hen  separated  from  their  occupations  of 
hunting,  fishing,  and  fighting,  consisted  chiefly  in  feats  of  daring, 
tests  of  skill  and  strength,  and  in  various  weird  dances.  (4)  The  flat, 
circular  stones  shown  in  the  picture  of  relics  were  used  in  some  sort 
of  game. 

The  occupations  of  the  Indians  may  be  listed  as  hunting,  fishing, 
fighting,  manufacturing  and  agriculture.  They  were  particularly 
skillful  in  the  hunt  and  had  many  useful  methods  for  trapping  and 
killing  the  various  kinds  of  game.  They  would  cut  the  beaver  dam 
and  then  wait  in  perfect  silence  for  the  beaver  to  come  out  to  find 


(4)  Described  in  Gansser  42;  When  Michigan  Was  New  40. 

(2)  See  picture  of  Bay  County  Indian  Relics,  page  27. 

(3)  Wah-Sash-Kah-Moqua  113. 

(4)  Described  in  Gansser  42;   When  Michigan  Was  New  40. 


38         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

out  the  cause  of  the  trouble,  when  he  would  be  easily  captured.  The 
bear  was  very  desirable  for  the  quantity  of  meat  he  would  furnish, 
but  they  would  not  hunt  him  unless  there  were  many  Indians  to  help, 
for  with  their  crude  weapons  they  could  not  kill  him  instantly,  and 
when  wounded  the  bear  was  a  very  dangerous  enemy.  The  circle 
hunt  was  used  at  certain  times  of  the  year  for  hunting  on  a  sort  of 
wholesale  plan.  A  large  number  of  Indians  would  form  a  circle  over 
quite  a  large  area  and  drive  the  game  toward  one  place.  Succeeding 
in  this,  they  could  then  engage  in  a  regular  slaughter,  rather  than  a 
hunt.  By  this  method  they  frequently  killed  great  quantities  of  game 
of  many  kinds  in  a  very  short  time. 

Preparation  for  war  included  religious  ceremonies,  applying  the 
carefully  mixed  war  paints,  and  examination  of  the  weapons  to  see 
that  they  were  in  the  best  of  condition.  The  braves  would  travel  long 
distances,  endure  all  sorts  of  hardships,  and  run  great  risks  in  order 
to  satisfy  their  desire  for  revenge  on  some  enemy.  In  case  they  re- 
turned with  many  scalps,  showing  a  successful  battle,  they  would 
celebrate  with  a  great  feast  and  war  dance  and  with  the  torture  of  any 
prisoners  that  had  been  taken. 

Manufacturing  was  engaged  in  by  both  the  braves  and  the  squaws 
in  connection  with  their  other  occupations.  The  squaws  made  mats 
and  baskets  of  reeds  and  rushes,  wild  hemp  twine  and  fish  nets,  cloth- 
ing from  the  skins,  and  meal  from  the  corn.  For  the  latter,  a  stone 
dish  and  round  stone,  similar  in  shape  to  the  mortar  and  pestle  shown 
in  the  picture  of  relics,  or  else  a  stone  fitted  into  a  hollowed  stump, 
was  used.  The  men  made  their  various  stone  weapons.  There  was 
the  bow,  with  its  carefully  chosen  wood  and  strips  of  leather  and  as 
carefully  fastened  together;  the  arrow,  which  must  be  straight  and 
of  the  proper  length  and  weight,  and  tipped  with  a  well-made  stone 
head ;  there  were  also  the  spear,  tomahawk,  and  war  club,  each  of 
which  required  special  skill  and  strength  in  the  making. 

As  Indian  travel  in  this  vicinity,  when  not  on  foot  over  Indian 
trails,  was  on  the  streams  in  canoes,  the  making  of  the  canoes  was  an 
important  manufacturing  process.  In  this  the  Indian  showed  great 
ingenuity.  The  canoes  were  light,  long,  narrow,  and  pointed  at  both 
ends.  They  were  made  of  birch  bark,  or  by  stretching  skins  over  a 
frame.  Some  dug-outs,  or  hollowed  logs,  were  used.  These  were 
burned  on  one  side  and  then  the  stone  chisel  (1)  was  used  to  take  off 
the  burned  part,  after  which  the  process  was  repeated. 

That  the  Indians   engaged  in  agriculture  on  a  surprisingly   large 


(1)      See  picture  of  Indian  relics. 


NATIVE  LIFE — THE  CHIPPEWA  INDIANS.  39 

scale  seems  to  be  proven  by  the  records  of  the  early  P^'rench  and  Eng- 
lish. One  hundred  and  thirty  years  before  the  first  settlement  was 
started  in  Bay  County,  ten  boats  came  from  the  French  fort  at 
Michilimackinac — near  the  present  Mackinaw — to  the  "Saguinan" 
region  for  food.  (1)  In  1779  the  English  Commander  of  the  same 
fort  reported  to  his  superior  officer  at  Quebec,  "I  have  sent  to 
Saguina  to  endeavor  to  secure  six  hundred  Bushels  of  Corn  for  the 
Indians  without  which  our  flour  will  run  short  by  the  fall  of  the  year." 
(2) 

The  squaw,  who  was  usually  little  better  than  a  slave,  undoubtedly 
attended  to  most  of  the  work  in  tilling  the  soil  and  caring  for  the  har- 
vest. She  also  had  full  care  of  the  children.  "The  Indian  people, 
the  Chippewas  especially,  were  very  fond  of  their  children.  Before 
the  babies  could  walk  they  were  put  in  a  basket  and  carried  on  their 
mothers'  backs.  The  Indian  baby  was  called  a  papoose.  When  the 
mother  did  not  want  to  carry  her  baby  she  would  take  the  basket  off 
her  back  and  stand  it  against  the  hut  or  a  tree,  and  sometimes  she 
would  hang  it  on  a  bough  of  a  tree.  From  this  custom  came  the 
Mother  Goose  nursery  song : 

"Rock-a-by  baby,  on  the  tree  top, 
When  the  wind  blows, 
The  cradle  will  rock." 

"Indian  babies  seldom  cry.  All  Indian  children,  as  soon  as  they 
started  to  walk,  were  taught  how  to  paddle  a  canoe,  fish,  and  hunt. 
The  child's  parents  were  never  afraid  that  their  children  were  going 
to  drown. 

"In  the  Chippewa  tribe  when  an  Indian  boy  or  girl  was  twelve  or 
thirteen  years  of  age  he  chose  his  own  name.  The  morning  on  which 
the  child  was  to  choose  his  name,  instead  of  his  usual  breakfast,  there 
was  a  bowl  of  charcoal.  The  child  knew  at  once  what  this  meant.  He 
or  she  would  go  into  the  woods  and  fast  until  he  went  to  sleep  and 
whatever  animal  he  dreamed  of  he  was  to  take  that  animal's  name, 
and  this  animal  was  to  be  his  spirit."  (3) 

The  following  account  shows  with  unusual  clearness  the  difference 
between  the  Chippewa  Indians  before  and  after  they  had  dealings  with 
the  white  people : 

"The  mental  as  well  as  the  physical  Chippewa  was  high  above  the 
average  American  Indian.    The  outline  of  his  face  alone  showed  great 


(1)  XXXIII.   270. 

(2)  IX.  381;  capitals  and  spellings  are  given  as  in  the  old  letter  from  which  this 
is  quoted.     See  other  references    under  Indians    and    Agriculture    in    the    Appendix. 

(3)  From  an  account  by  one  of  the  pupils. 


40         i)AY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

mental  ability  and  sagacity.  He  was  kind  and  trustworthy  so  long  as 
he  was  honestly  dealt  with.  He  was  kind  to  his  family  and  morally 
he  was  much  superior  to  his  white  brother.  His  laws  were  made  not 
to  be  broken,  and  the  punishment  was  death.  He  worshipped  his 
manitou  with  true  devotion.  He  would  go  off  into  the  forest  alone  to 
his  sanctuary,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  his  white  brother  seldom 
realized  the  fine  qualities  of  this  man  of  the  forest. 

"Nature  provided  him  with  all  of  his  wants.  His  wigwam  was 
originally  made  of  leather  which  had  been  tanned  by  his  industrious 
squaw,  and  the  inside  was  lined  with  the  most  expensive  furs.  His 
habits  were  quite  sanitary  as  his  little  home  was  moved  from  place  to 
place,  so  there  were  no  such  things  as  contagious  diseases.  His  medi- 
cine man  in  reality  used  very  little  medicine  and  was  in  principle  a 
mental  healer.    What  few  cases  he  had  were  speedily  cured, 

"In  their  wars  between  tribes  they  fought  to  a  finish,  generally  in 
hand  to  hand  conflict — but  they  did  not  use  bombs,  U-boats  or  gas,  and 
instead  of  wearing  an  Iron  Cross  they  wore  their  opponent's  scalp. 
Please  remember  I  am  speaking  of  nature's  Indians,  I  do  not  refer  to 
those  the  white  man  made  and  contaminated  with  whiskey,  immorality 
and  disease,  but  to  a  people  who  lived  in  harmony  until  they  were  rob- 
bed of  their  land,  their  homes  and  their  means  of  sustenance,  after 
having  lived  the  life  of  free  men, 

"In  visiting  an  Indian  wigwam  his  first  salutation  was  'Come  in, 
brother,  half  I  have  is  yours,'  and  this  was  no  idle  saying  because  he 
would  share  with  you  everything  he  had.  But  while  he  was  intelli- 
gent and  shrewd,  he  was  no  match  for  his  dishonest  white  brother 
who  held  out  his  hand  not  in  friendship  but  to  grasp  from  his  unsus- 
pecting brother  the  beautiful  forests,  the  lakes  and  rivers  and  pro- 
ductive lands  all  filled  with  game  and  fish  which  was  the  rightful  in- 
heritance of  the  Chippewa  Indian." — Fremont  J.  Tromble. 

REFERENCES. 

Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Collections — Indians.   See  list  in  Appendix. 

When  Michigan  V^as  New — Hollands. 

Wah  Sash  Kah  Moqua.     Chapters  XVIII.  XIX.,  and  XX. 

Bay  County  History  and  Biography — Gansser,  Chapter  II. 

History  of  Bay  County,  1883.    Pages  9-14. 

Carver's  Travels. 


Nx\TIVE   LIFE — TflE   CHIPPEWA  INDIANS. 


41 


-i*^ 


Washington  School. 


42 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Chapter  IX.— WHITE  PEOPLE  TAKE  POSSESSION 

THE  FRENCH  PERIOD. 

FTER  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus,  three  important 
nations  of  Europe  gained  a  foothold  in  America.  The  Spanish 
in  the  southern  part  cared  little  for  settlement,  but  were 
looking  for  wealth,  especially  in  the  form  of  precious  metals 
and  stones.    They  made  slaves  of  the  Indians,  using  them  to 


work  their  mines  and  plantations. 

In  the  central  part  of  the  eastern  coast,  the  English  had  taken 
possession.  Some  of  the  English  came  to  seek  wealth  or  adventure, 
while  others  came  to  seek  religious  and  political  liberty.  Those  who 
came  because  they  wanted  liberty  intended  making  this  continent 
their  permanent  home,  and  they  soon  established  themselves  in  vil- 
lages or  on  farms.  They  remained  near  the  coast  for  many  years  as 
the  Appalachian  Mountains,  with  their  dense  forests  and  rapid 
streams,  made  it  hard  to  travel  very  far  inland.  In  this  part  of 
America  the  Indians  were  gradually  crowded  westward  as  the  land 
was  taken  up  by  the  white  people,  for  the  English  cared  little  for  them 
either  as  slaves  or  as  friends. 

To  the  north,  in  the  St.  Lawrence  River 
Valley,  the  French  took  possession.  They,  as 
was  the  case  with  most  of  the  nations  at  first, 
were  looking  for  a  passage  through  the  new 
continent  to  India  in  order  to  help  the  trade  of 
France.  They  did  not  find  the  northern  passage 
they  had  hoped  for,  but  they  did  find  themselves 
in  the  great  pine  forest  belt  with  its  many  fur- 
bearing  animals  and  Indian  hunters.  It  became 
the  desire  of  the  French  to  take  possession  of 
all  the  land  they  could  in  America,  and  to  de- 
velop their  fur  trading  business.  Their  atti- 
tude toward  the  Indian  was  entirely  different 
from  that  of  the  Spanish  and  English.  The  French,  or  Jesuit,  mis- 
sionaries were  sent  over  to  teach  the  Indian  the  Christian  religion,  and 
the  French  fur  trader  desired  to  be  on  friendly  and  familiar  terms 
with  the  Indians  in  order  to  help  his  trade.  These  hardy  traders,  or 
coureurs  de  bois  (1)  as  they  were  called,  had  to  live  much  the  same 
kind  of  an  outdoor  life  and  endure  the  same  hardships  as  the  Indian. 
As  a  result,  they  understood  the  Indian  far  better  than  the  Spanish 
and  English,  and  many  married  Indian  squaws. 


(1)      Koo-rer  'deh  bwah'. 


THEFRBNCHPERIOD.  43 

These  objects  of  the  French — exploration,  fur  trading,  and  mis- 
sion work — required  forts,  trading  posts  and  mission  stations,  but 
they  did  not  aid  in  making  permanent  settlements  or  in  encouraging 
many  settlers  to  come,  clear  the  land,  and  farm. 

After  discovering  the  great  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  in  their  search 
for  a  passage  to  India,  the  French  explorers  were  not  slow  to  follow 
the  great  river  that  flowed  into  it  from  the  southwest,  and  to  which 
they  gave  the  same  name.  When  they  reached  the  site  of  Montreal, 
they  followed  up  the  Ottawa  river,  crossed  the  short  portage  to  Lake 
Nipissing,  and  from  there  entered  Georgian  Bay  and  Lake  Huron  and 
explored  the  northern  part  of  Michigan.  Others  came  up  the  Great 
Lakes  and  explored  the  southern  part  of  the  state. 

But  it  is  the  Saginaw  Valley  that  we  are  interested  in  just  now. 
What  was  known  of  this  region,  and  who  visited  the  valley  in  those 
early  years  of  exploration?  (1)  It  is  claimed  that  records  show  the 
following  to  be  facts : 

In  1540,  just  forty-eight  years  after  the  discovery  of  America, 
"Jacques  Cartier  knew  about  the  lower  peninsula  as  the  'Sagihnaw' 
region."  (2)  And  in  1611,  or  nine  years  before  the  landing  of  the 
Pilgrims,  the  Great  Champlain  visited  the  Sac  Indians  near  Saginaw 
Bay  and  in  his  writings  "described  the  safe  harbor  afforded  by  the 
Saginaw  river  from  the  stormy  waters  of  a  bay,  and  in  his  rough  map, 
from  which  copies  have  been  made  and  which  is  now  in  the  office  of 
the  French  Marine,  he  has  delineated  the  mouth  of  that  river  as  cor- 
rectly as  the  maps  of  the  present  day."  (3) 

Thirty-three  years  later  Jean  Nicolet  explored  the  west  coast  of 
Lake  Huron  and  its  rivers,  (4)  of  which  the  Saginaw  is  the  largest, 
and  it  is  even  claimed  that  that  grand  French  missionary  and  ex- 
plorer, Pere  Marquette,  who  established  the  first  permanent  settle- 
ment in  Michigan  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  thoroughly  explored  the  west 
shore  of  Lake  Huron,  and  traversed  the  Saginaw  Valley  about  1668. 
(4)  Next,  LaSalle,  while  conducting  northward  the  first  sailboat  on 
the  Great  Lakes,  the  Griffin,  was  driven  by  a  storm  into  Saginaw  Bay 
in  1679. 

There  are  many  references  to  the  Saginaw  region  and  to  the  In- 
dians during  the  rest  of  the  French  control.  In  1686  French  workmen 
were  sent  to  the  Saginaw  region,   and   the  Jesuit   Engelrau   was   in- 


(1.)  The  sources  of  the  following'  information  ■will  be  given,  but  of  course  it  was 
inipossible  for  us  in  preparing  this  work  to  go  back  of  those  sources  and  determine 
their  reliability. 

(2)  XXII.  2-44. 

(3)  III.  648.     Also  see  XXII.  244  and  XIV.  655. 

(4)  Gansser  18. 


44 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT, 


structed  to  establish  missions  throughout  the  Saginaw  region  "which 
he  did."  (1)  Among  other  evidences  that  missionaries  attempted  to 
carry  on  their  work  here,  are  the  fine  cultivated  fruit  trees  on  the  river 
bank  that  were  later  found  by  the  pioneers  between  here  and  Saginaw 
and  in  various  other  places  in  the  valley.  (2)  The  French  sent  ten 
boats  from  Michilimackinac  to  look  for  food  in  1706  (3)  and  in  1708 
provisions  were  sent  to  the  Saginaw  Indians  from  Detroit,  (4)  a 
small  village  established  just  seven  years  before  that  date.  In  1711 
these  Indians  aided  the  French  against  the  English,  (5)  but   in   1717 

they  were  told  that  they  need  not  ex- 
pect any  missionaries  to  go  there  to 
live.  (6) 

During  these  two  hundred  years 
the  French  had  made  very  few  settle- 
ments in  the  state,  and  though  the 
Saginaw  valley  seemed  to  be  well 
known,  not  even  a  permanent  trading 
post  had  been  established  here.  (7) 

(Map  of  Great  Lakes  region,  as  it 
was  believed  to  be,  from  John  Mit- 
chell's Map  of  1755.) 


REFERENCES. 

Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Collections, 
topics:     Explorers,  Missions,  and  Fur  Traders. 

Bay  County  History — Gansser,  Cliapter  I. 


See  list    in    Appendix  under 


(1)  XXII.  244 — Faillon,  a  Canadian  historian,  1799-1870.) 

(2)  VII.  254. 

(3)  XXXIII.   270. 

(4)  XXX,   436. 

(5)  XXX.  498. 

(6)  XXX.  386. 

(7)  See  chronolog-ical  table,  Appendix. 


THE     FRENCH     PERIOD 


45 


o 
o 

Xfl 

o 


46         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Chapter  X.— WHITE  PEOPLE  TAKE  POSSESSION 

THE  ENGLISH  PERIOD. 


N  the  meantime  the  EngHsh  had  gradually  worked  their  way 
across  the  Appalachian  Mountains.  War  between  France 
and  England,  both  in  Europe  and  in  America,  came  at  this 
time.  In  1760  the  French  lost  Quebec,  and  in  1763  the  two 
nations  made  the  Treatj^  of  Paris,  which  gave  all  of  Canada, 
including  Michigan,  to  the  English.  In  this  way  the  Saginaw  Valley, 
which  had  been  under  the  French  government  since  the  time  of  Cham- 
plain,  became  an  English  possession. 

But  the  Indians  did  not  like  this  change.  In  the  same  year  that 
the  treaty  was  concluded,  the  greatest  of  Michigan  Indian  chiefs, 
Pontiac,  tried  to  overthrow  the  English.  This  attempt  was  called 
Pontiac's  Conspiracy.  He  had  a  well  laid  plan,  and  had  the  assist- 
ance of  many  Indians  from  this  part  of  the  United  States,  including 
about  250  warriors  from  the  Saginaw  Valley  under  the  chief,  Owos- 
son.  (1)  Many  of  the  forts  in  this  western  region  were  surprised, 
captured,  and  the  white  people  cruelly  massacred.  But  Pontiac's 
scheme  for  capturing  Detroit  failed  because  someone,  perhaps  an 
Indian  maiden,  gave  warning,  and  the  Indians  decided  to  lay  siege  to 
the  fort.  During  this  siege  a  young  chief,  nephew  of  the  great  chief, 
Owosson,  was  killed  and  scalped  by  an  Englishman  who  had  formerly 
been  a  prisoner  of  the  Indians.  Owosson  was  furious  over  this  and 
went  to  Pontiac  and  demanded  that  Major  Campbell,  who  was  being 
held  as  hostage  by  Pontiac,  be  given  over  to  him.  He  then  ordered  his 
young  men  to  strip  Major  Campbell,  ''whereupon  they  massacred  him 
with  their  tomahawks,  and,  after  having  killed  him,  they  threw  him 
into  the  river."  (2)  At  another  time  during  the  siege,  "Owosson  and 
his  party  attacked  a  gunboat  at  Windmill  Point  and  pursued  it  in  small 
bark  canoes  until  it  reached  the  fort.  They  did  not  succeed  in  cap- 
turing the  boat,  as  the  men  were  covered  by  a  deck  and  could  only  be 
shot  through  the  port-holes.  Owosson  managed  so  well  that  he  did 
not  lose  a  man  in  the  battle.'"  (3) 

Such  were  the  warlike  Saginaw  Indians  at  the  time  of  Pontiac's 
Conspiracy.  The  English  finally  succeeded  in  defeating  the  Indians 
and  Pontiac's  great  plan  for  driving  the  white  man  out  of  the  Great 
Lakes  region  failed.  (4) 


(1)  VIII.  274,  2S6,  310.  313,  329,  351. 

(2)  VIII.  329. 

(3)  VIII.  351. 

(4)  See  histories  of  Michigan  for  complete  story  of  Pontiac's  Conspiracy. 


THE     ENGLISH     PERIOD.  47 

During  the  control  of  the  Saginaw  region  by  the  Enghsh,  the 
commanders  at  the  forts  Michilimackinac  and  Detroit  had  occasional 
dealings  with  the  Saginaw  Indians,  as  had  the  French  commanders 
before  that  time.  In  1779  they  sent  here  for  600  bushels  of  corn  (1) 
when  corn  was  selling  at  Niagara  at  $3.00  per  bushel.  Mention  is  also 
made  of  traders  in  the  valley,  (2)  and  in  1787  and  1788  two  boats 
were  built  on  the  shore  of  Saginaw  Bay. 

But  England  had  possessed  this  territory  only  thirteen  years 
when  she  was  again  at  war  in  America — this  time  with  her  own  thir- 
teen colonies.  Just  twenty  years  after  the  former  Treaty  of  Paris, 
giving  this  region  to  the  English,  there  was  another  Treaty  of  Paris, 
1783,  taking  it  away  and  making  it  a  part  of  the  new  nation,  the 
United  States  of  America. 

But  the  English,  though  defeated,  desired  to  keep  control  of  so 
valuable  a  district  as  Michigan.  They  refused  to  give  up  the  forts  at 
Detroit  and  Michilimackinac.  It  was  not  until  the  year  after  a  new 
treaty  was  made  by  John  Jay  with  England  that  the  forts  were  finally 
turned  over  to  the  American  commanders  and  the  Saginaw  Valley, 
along  with  the  rest  of  Michigan,  became  truly  American  in  1796. 

Even  though  the  English  control  did  extend  over  but  thirty-three 
years,  we  cannot  but  ask  why  this  valley,  with  a  safe  port  for  lake 
boats,  with  fur  bearing  animals  in  abundance,  and  with  many  uncon- 
verted Indians,  had  passed  through  both  the  French  and  the  English 
periods  without  the  establishment  of  a  fort,  a  permanent  mission,  or 
even  a  trading  post.  May  it  not  have  been  caused  by  the  fact  that 
these  Indians  were  more  warlike  and  dangerous  than  those  of  the 
rest  of  the  state? 

We  have  seen  that  the  French  would  not  consider  sending  a  mis- 
sionary to  live  among  them.  The  English  had  trouble  with  them  and 
they  were  noted  among  the  English  for  misbehavior  and  treachery. 
(3)  They  had  given  Pontiac  strong  support  in  his  conspiracy. 
During  the  war  between  the  United  States  and  England,  from  1812 
to  1815,  when  the  English  regained  control  of  Michigan  for  a  time, 
the  Indians  of  this  valley  were  quick  to  aid  them  against  their  newer 
masters.  In  1821,  because  of  the  trouble  the  Indians  were  causing, 
the  United  States  thought  best  to  send  soldiers  to  the  Saginaw  Valley, 
and  a  fort  was  built  at  the  present  site  of  Saginaw.  Even  as  late  as 
1828  "The  Indians  in  this  section  were  considered  the  worst  and  most 
dangerous  in  all  the  country,  but  about  the  best  hunters  and  trappers 


(1)  IX.  381. 

(2)  XVII.  449. 

(3)  XI.  483. 


48         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

of  valuable  furs,  and  it  was  a  very  important  post  to  be  maintained. 
(1) 

A  little  incident  that  shows  the  troublesome  nature  of  the  Indians 
and  at  the  same  time  involves  some  persons  who  were  destined  to  be 
forerunners  of  present  well-known  Bay  City  residents  occurred  at 
Detroit  in  1814.    It  is  as  follows : 

Mr.  McMillan  and  his  eleven  year  old  son  Archibald  went  out  on 
the  commons  near  the  town,  probably  to  get  some  cows  that  were  feed- 
ing there.  As  they  approached  some  bushes,  Mr.  McMillan  was  shot 
and  scalped  by  some  Saginaw  Indians.  "Archy,  on  seeing  that  his 
father  was  killed,  turned  and  ran  towards  us  with  all  the  speed  that 
his  little  legs  could  supply.  A  savage  on  horseback  pursued  him.  As 
he  rode  up  and  stooped  to  seize  him,  the  brave  little  fellow,  nothing 
daunted,  turned  and  struck  the  horse  on  the  nose  with  a  rod  which  he 
happened  to  have  in  his  hand.  The  horse  turned  off  at  the  blow  and 
Archy  put  forth  his  best  speed  again ;  and  this  was  repeated  several 
times,  until  fearful  of  losing  his  prize,  the  savage  sprang  from  his 
horse,  seized  the  boy  and  dragged  him  off  to  the  woods,  and  thence  he 
was  taken  to  Saginaw."  General  Cass  with  a  number  of  young  men 
pursued  the  Indians  and  gave  them  battle,  but  failed  to  get  the  boy. 
Several  months  after  this  Captain  Whittemore  Knaggs  captured  three 
Indians  from  the  valley  and  through  the  services  of  John  Riley,  ex-, 
changed  them  for  Archibald,  who  was  returned  safely.  (2) 


REFERENCES. 

See  references  for  Chapter  IX. 


(1)  VIII.   244. 

(2)  XIII.  503-507. 


THE     ENGLISH     PERIOD, 


49 


o 
o 


O 


50         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Chapter  XI —WHITE  PEOPLE  TAKE  POSSESSION 
THE  FUR  TRADERS. 


LTHOUGH  missionaries  visited  the  Saginaw  Valley  during 
the  French  period,  they  established  no  permanent  missions. 
During  both  the  French  and  the  English  periods  there  were 
many  explorers  and  government  agents  who  passed  through 
the  region  and  reported  what  they  found  to  their  government 
— then  their  work,  so  far  as  the  Saginaw  Valley  was  concerned,  was 
ended. 

But  the  fur  traders,  although  no  station  was  established  here, 
paid  visit  after  visit — in  canoes,  in  larger  boats,  and  on  foot — in  order 
to  collect  the  valuable  furs  which  the  Indian  hunters  obtained.  Most 
of  these  traders  were  Frenchmen  or  French  Canadians.  At  first  they 
came  up  the  St.  Lawrence  River  from  Montreal  and  other  Canadian 
cities,  but  when  trading  posts  were  established  at  such  places  as  De- 
troit and  Michilimackinac,  they  made  their  headquarters  there.  And 
as  the  distances  they  had  to  travel  became  shorter,  their  visits  were 
more  frequent. 

During  the  English  period  much  of  the  trading  was  carried  on 
for  the  Mackinac  Company.  At  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War — 
1783 — the  Old  Northwest  Fur  Company  was  organized  by  Americans. 
After  1796,  when  the  United  States  had  gained  complete  control  of 
the  Michigan  region,  the  government  gave  better  protection  to  the 
traders,  and  the  business  developed  rapidly.  It  was  just  before  the 
War  of  1812  that  John  Jacob  Astor  entered  upon  the  scene,  organizing 
a  million  dollar  corporation — the  American  Fur  Company — which 
combined  with  the  Old  Northwest  Fur  Company  and  bought  out  the 
interests  of  the  British  Mackinac  Company. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  which  had  interfered  seriously 
with  Astor's  plans,  trading  posts  were  established  throughout  Mich- 
igan "at  every  important  point,  with  a  principal  trader  to  manage 
each  center,  and  out-stations  well  manned  to  head  off  the  French 
trader  who  was  already  in  the  field."  (1)  Whenever  possible  the  Am- 
erican Fur  Company  employed  the  old  traders  and  members  of  their 
families  who  had  been  brought  up  in  that  kind  of  work.  In  fact,  they 
succeeded  in  employing  seven-eighths  of  those  who  had  been  in  the 
business,  and  placed  the  best  of  these  in  opposition  to  those  who  would 
not  come  into  their  employ,  with  instructions  to  outbid  their  opponents 
in  buying  furs  from  the  Indians.    In  this  way  they  forced  the  others 

(1)    iir.  58. 


THE     PUR     TRADERS.  51 

out  of  business  and  had  almost  complete  control  of  the  fur  trade  in 
the  United  States  for  many  years. 

One  of  the  first  traders  to  the  valley,  of  whom  we  have  definite 
information,  is  Louis  Tromble.  He  came  from  Detroit  to  trade  with 
the  Saginaw  Indians  as  early  as  1792.  He  came  on  one  trip  in  a  sail 
boat  along  the  coast,  and  in  order  to  carry  on  a  more  extensive  busi- 
ness, he  decided  to  build  another  boat.  Mr.  Tromble,  in  addition  to 
being  a  fur  trader,  was  a  goldsmith  and  made  metal  ornaments  and 
tools  which  he  would  give  to  the  Indians  for  furs.  He  made  a  mxuskrat 
spear  for  each  of  two  Indians.  One  Indian  thought  that  his  spear  was 
not  so  good  as  the  other.  In  the  quarrel  that  followed,  Tromble  was 
wounded.  His  companions  placed  him  on  board  the  boat  and  started 
for  the  nearest  place  where  a  doctor  could  be  found — Detroit.  In 
great  pain,  Mr.  Tromble  was  pacing  the  deck,  with  a  blanket  around 
him  and  a  man  supporting  him  on  each  side.  In  the  storm  that  was 
raging  at  the  time,  the  boom  swung  suddenly  around  and  swept  them 
off  their  feet.  The  two  men  managed  to  save  themselves,  but  the  empty 
blanket  left  in  their  grasp  showed  the  awful  fate  of  the  brave  fur 
trader.  (1) 

Following  shortly  after  1800,  men  remained  longer  in  the  valley. 
Some  built  temporary  log  huts  near  the  river  and  others  married 
squaws  and  moved  from  place  to  place  as  trade  conditions  changed. 
Among  other  traders,  from  the  time  of  Louis  Tromble  till  the  first  set- 
tlers came,  were :  Gassette  Tromble ;  Jacob  Graveradt,  an  interesting 
Dutch  character  who  was  nicknamed  "Old  Grave  Rod"  and  was  well 
known  all  over  this  part  of  the  state ;  Louis  Campau,  who  established 
himself  at  Saginaw  as  early  as  1816;  Joseph  Tromble,  in  1829,  of 
whom  we  are  to  hear  more  later;  Masho,  who  had  married  a  squaw, 
and  in  1831  lived  in  a  log  cabin  where  the  Woodenware  Works  has 
long  stood;  (2)  and  Stephen  V.  R.  Riley,  who  was  one  of  the  best 
known  traders  before  1819,  and  who  had  a  powerful  influence  with 
the  Indians,  having  an  Indian  wife.  Their  children  were  adopted  into 
the  Chippewa  tribe  and  were  given  Indian  names. 

The  life  of  the  fur  trader,  his  great  strength  and  endurance,  his 
bravery  when  in  danger,  and  his  skill  in  dealing  with  the  Indians,  fur- 
nish many  interesting  and  thrilling  stories.  In  preparation  for  a  long 
trip,  as  from  Detroit,  where  many  of  the  traders  of  that  time  had  their 
permanent  homes,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Saginaw  River,  a  heavy  pack 
was  prepared  for  carrying  on  the  back.    This  included  the  trader's  kit 


(1)      Saginaw  Valley  Directory,  1866,  Bay  City,  page  2;  Gansser  60. 
i2)      1883  History,  page  14. 


52 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


of  food,  tent,  blanket,  weapons,  and  other  such  personal  effects.  It 
was  also  necessary  to  include  such  articles  as  the  trader  needed  to 
exchange  with  the  Indians  for  the  load  of  furs  he  intended  to  bring 
back  with  him.  There  were,  first  of  all,  the  white  man's  warm  blank- 
ets, which  were  in  great  demand  among  the  natives.  Next,  there  was 
the  ammunition  for  the  guns — usually  out  of  date — that  the  Indians 
had  managed  to  get  possession  of.  In  regard  to  the  ammunition,  it  is 
interesting  to  know  that  the  Indians  prized  it  very  much  more  than 
the  gold  coin  that  the  white  man  gave  them  for  their  land.  Ammuni- 
tion was  scarce — so  scarce  that  the  bow  and  arrow  still  had  to  be  used 
for  shooting  all  of  the  smaller  game.  Being  in  the  habit  of  deciding 
values  according  to  the  beaver  and  other  skins,  the  Indian  didn't  know 
what  to  do  with  the  gold  and  silver  coin,  unless  to  have  the  white 
trader  make  trinkets  out  of  it,  which  was  very  often  done. 

After  the  blankets  and  the  ammunition,  the  pack  would  contain 
knives  and  other  tools,  and  many  small  but  attractive  ornaments  and 
trinkets. 

The  following  list  shows  the  great  variety  of  things  the  Indians 
desired : 

"Invoice   of  goods    and   Merchandise  taken   by   George   Lasby 

(Lasley?)  in  his  trade  with  the  Indians  at  'Rivier  Aux  Sable.'  (1) 

(Enclosure.) 

December  27th,  1834. 


2  pieces  cloth 

5  prs.  Pantaloons 

1/3  piece  Scarlet  cloth 

8  prs.  Shoes 

2  prs.  Blankets  3 

point 

10  Socks 

5     "           "          2i 

do  (2) 

1    lb.    Shread    (Probably  thread) 

2     "           "2 

do 

200  Needles 

6  pieces  calico 

U  lb.  Vermillion  (4) 

^  ps.  Black  silk  Hdkfs 

4  Hoes 

1    "    Shawls 

6  fire  steels  (5) 

6  Ribbon 

4  Hats 

1  lb.  white  Beads 

8  Black  plumes 

U  lb.  Black    do 

60  prs.  Ear  bobs 

1  lb.  Cut  glass  do 

4  prs.  Ear  wheels 

1  ps.  White  Cotton 

4  Setts  Brooches 

2  ps.  Brown     do 

1  Box  Soap 

3    "    Factory  do 

8  Bridles 

1  doz.  Knives 

6  lb.  Snuff 

Jr  Keg  powder 

56  lb.  Tobacco 

60  lb.  Balls 

6  Snuff  Boxes 

56  lb.  Shot 

4  Silk  Hat  Covers 

150  flints  (3) 

5  Vests 

3  Copper  Kettles 

1^  doz.  Jews  Harps 

(1)  XXXVII  310.     SpeJling-  and  abbreviations  are  as  used  in  the  original  invoice. 

(2)  do,  or  "ditto"  means  "the  same." 

(3)  Probably  flint  stones,  shaped  for  use  in  the  old  flint-lock  g-uns. 

(4)  Paint  for  use  on  baskets,  etc.,  or  as  war  paint.     The  Indians  were  very  skill- 
ful in  mixing'  colors. 

(5)  Steel  pieces  for  use  with  flint  stone  and  punk   (decayed  wood)  for  starting 
fires. 


THE     FUR     TRADERS. 


53 


o 
o 

o 

m 

CD 

•r— I 


54         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Of  course  this  stock  of  goods  would  furnish  packs  for  many  trips. 

With  such  a  pack,  about  125  pounds  in  weight,  strapped  to  their 
backs,  the  Trombles  and  others  have  started  out  from  Detroit  in  the 
early  morning.  By  night  they  were  many  miles  on  their  journey. 
Joseph  Tromble  would  make  the  trip  in  two  days,  through  swamp  and 
forest,  and  across  river  torrents.  The  first  night  he  would  camp  on  the 
Flint  river,  and  the  second  night  pitch  his  tent  for  trade  on  the  Sag- 
inaw. 

At  a  later  date,  when  Bay  City  was  the  point  of  departure  for  the 
traders,  Michael  Daily  was  noted  for  his  ability  to  travel  far  and  at  a 
very  rapid  gait.  "He  has  often  taken  his  blanket  and  pack  on  his 
back  in  the  winter,  as  this  was  the  season  for  buying  up  fur,  and 
started  on  the  ice  at  the  mouth  of  the  Saginaw  River  and  followed  the 
west  shore  as  far  north  as  Mackinaw,  picking  up  all  the  fur  he  could 
on  the  route.  On  one  of  these  excursions  he  came  from  Lake  Superior 
to  Mackinaw  just  as  the  dog-train  was  starting  with  the  mail  for 
Saginaw,  accompanied  by  two  Indians  or  half-breeds  on  snow  shoes. 
He  said  he  would  go  with  them.  They  told  him  it  was  of  no  use  as  no 
white  man  could  keep  up  with  them,  as  they  calculated  to  go  over  50 
miles  per  day.  He  said  he  would  try  it,  so  they  started,  the  half-breeds 
doing  their  best.  Mr.  Daily  kept  up  with  them  for  over  150  miles, 
then  he  left  them  and  came  into  Lower  Saginaw  some  time  ahead. 
When  they  arrived  they  made  inquiries  for  the  little  white  man. 
When  they  were  told  who  he  was,  they  replied :  'Oh,  we  have  heard 
the  Indians  tell  about  the  little  white  man  that  beats  all  the  Indians 
traveling  or  running.'  "  (1) 

Although  the  Indians  were,  as  a  rule,  quite  friendly  with  these 
lone  travelers,  often  adopting  them  into  their  tribes,  they  were  not  to 
be  depended  upon.  Under  the  influence  of  liquor  they  were  quarrel- 
some and  dangerous.  We  have  seen  how  Louis  Tromble  lost  his  life 
through  a  trivial  quarrel.  Frequently  some  trader,  desirous  of  getting 
more  of  the  furs  for  himself,  would  succeed  in  getting  the  Indians  to 
be  unfriendly  toward  another  trader.  This  happened  to  Mader  Trom- 
ble on  one  of  his  trips.  He  awoke  in  his  tent  one  night  to  find  an  In- 
dian's dagger  at  his  throat.  Being  both  powerful  and  quick  of  action, 
in  a  flash  he  grasped  the  descending  hand  and,  dragging  his  assailant 
out  of  the  tent,  he  rolled  him  back  and  forth  through  the  bed  of  fiery 
coals  left  by  his  campfire  of  the  night  before.  Other  Indians  quickly 
appeared,  and  learning  of  the  treachery  of  their  brother  Indian,  ad- 
vised Tromble  to  kill  him,  as  was  allowed  by  the  Indian  laws  in  case 
of  such  an  unprovoked  attempt  on  one's  life.    He  let  him  go,  however. 


(1)     Bay  County,  1883,  page  29. 


THE     FUR     TRADERS.  55 

and  for  a  long  time  saw  nothing  more  of  his  assailant  unless  it  was 
from  a  distance,  peering  cautiously  from  around  a  tree  or  over  some 
bushes. 

Another  incident  in  Mader  Tromble's  life  as  a  trader  shows  the 
dangerous  nature  of  the  Indian,  and  also  the  bravery  and  skill  of  the 
traders  in  dealing  with  them.  On  another  trip  the  Indians,  in  a  very 
ugly  manner,  demanded  his  flask  of  whiskey.  Knowing  how  dan- 
gerous it  made  them,  he  refused  outright,  saying  that  it  was  just  for 
medicine.  They  insisted  and  began  to  threaten,  but  this  only  made 
him  more  determined  that  he  would  not  add  to  their  fierceness  by 
giving  them  the  "fire  water."  He  finally  placed  the  flask  on  the  ground, 
and  with  his  powerful  frame  towering  over  six  feet  above  it,  he  told 
them  to  come  and  get  it.  They,  fearing  his  strength,  did  not  care  to 
make  the  attempt.  At  the  same  time  they  admired  his  courage  and 
manner  of  dealing  in  few  words,  and  became  very  friendly  and  willing 
to  trade  their  furs  for  the  usual  articles  he  had  in  his  pack. 

Besides  being  in  danger  from  the  Indians,  the  traders  were  in 
constant  peril  from  other  sources,  such  as  from  severe  storms,  unex- 
pected and  serious  accident,  sickness,  and  from  wild  animals. 
Gradually  these  difi'iculties  were  lessened  by  the  establishment  of 
trading  posts  in  the  valley,  so  that  the  traders  had  shorter  distances 
to  travel  and  in  many  cases  could  have  the  Indians  gather  near  the 
post  at  certain  times  of  the  year  to  carry  on  trade.  It  is  said  that  "at 
frequent  intervals  during  the  spring,  summer  and  fall  the  'trading 
bees'  were  held  here,  while  during  the  long  and  bitterly  cold  winter 
the  white  traders  rusticated  in  their  shacks  at  Detroit." 

As  a  rule  the  traders  would  get  the  most  of  their  furs  from  the 
Indians,  but  many  of  the  early  settlers  would  also  engage  in  trapping 
during  the  fall,  winter,  and  early  spring,  and  would  sell  the  furs  to 
the  traders. 

A  common  method  of  trapping  animals  of  all  sizes  before  the 
steel  trap  came  into  common  use,  was  with  the  "dead  fall"  trap.  A 
space  large  enough  to  admit  the  forepart  of  the  animal  was  enclosed 
on  all  sides  but  one  with  stakes,  and  then  was  covered  with  bark.  At 
the  entrance  a  log  was  balanced  with  a  weight  in  such  a  manner  that 
the  animal,  in  entering  the  trap  to  get  the  bait,  placed  at  the  farther 
end  of  the  enclosure,  would  pass  under  it.  The  bait  was  attached  to 
the  weight  with  a  cord  so  that  when  the  animal  began  to  eat  the  bait, 
the  weight  was  pulled  from  the  log,  which  then  dropped  over  the  back 
of  the  animal,  killing  or  disabling  him.  The  size  of  the  enclosure,  the 
log,  and  the  weight,  all  depended  on  the  size  of  the  animal  to  be  trap- 


56         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

ped.    The  bear  trap  required  an  immense  log  and  a  weight  of  about  a 
ton. 

Some  of  the  furs  obtained  here  in  great  abundance  were  from  the 
"beaver,  otter,  fisher,  marten,  mink  and  muskrat,"  (1)  while  the  "deer 
and  bears,  elk  and  moose  were  found  at  the  headwaters  of  the  streams 
that  empty  into  the  Saginaw."  It  is  said  that  the  silver  gray  fox  was 
occasionally  to  be  found  here  and  that  its  fur  brought  the  greatest 
profit,  being  worth  at  that  time  from  $75  to  $100.  The  beaver  skin 
was  worth  from  $3.00  to  $8.00,  the  otter  about  twice  as  much,  the  coon 
about  $1.00,  the  marten  and  fisher  $5.00  each,  and  the  bear  $10.00  or 
more.  These  prices,  paid  in  goods  from  the  trader's  pack,  varied  ac- 
cording to  size  and  weight  of  the  hides,  the  quality  of  the  furs  and  the 
ability  of  the  trader  to  drive  a  bargain.  The  furs  were  at  their  best, 
or  were  "prime,"  during  the  months  with  an  "r"  in  their  names.  But 
in  spite  of  all  the  hardship  and  dangers  the  trader  went  through  to 
get  the  furs,  most  of  the  profit  was  made  by  the  fur  company  or  the 
tanneries  in  the  east. 

The  furs  were  packed  into  a  solid,  compact  bundle  by  means  of  a 
press,  with  a  long  sapling  for  a  pry.  They  were  then  tied  firmly  with 
strips  of  basswood  bark.  The  trader  who  could  not  ship  his  furs  back 
to  civilization  by  boat,  had  to  make  the  long  return  trip  as  he  had 
come,  on  foot,  with  his  pack — ^this  time  of  valuable  furs — on  his  back. 


REFERENCES. 

Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical    Collections.     See  list  in  Appendix    under 
Fur  Trading.     Also  see  the  Index  Volumes  under  Furs  and  Fur  Traders. 
History  of  Michigan,  Lranman,  pages  79,  87,  145,  180,  196. 
When  Michigan  Was  New,  Hollands,  page  59. 
Memorials  of  a  Half  Century,  Bela  Hubbard,  pages  3  59-3  61. 
Economic  and  Social  Beginnings  of  Michigan,  Fuller. 


(1)     XVII.  448. 


THE      FUR     TRADERS. 


57 


o 
o 

o 

Xfl 

Oh 


58 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Chapter  XII.— WHITE  PEOPLE  TAKE   POSSESSION. 

THE  AMERICAN  PERIOD— BOUNDARY  CHANGES. 

INE  years  before  the  United  States  had  actual  control  of 
Michigan,  provision  had  been  made  for  this  region  in  the  "Or- 
dinance of  1787."  This  provided  for  the  government  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  which  then  included  the  present  states, 
of  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois. 

In  1796,  as  we  have  already 
learned,  the  forts  at  Detroit  and 
Mackinaw  were  given  up  by  the 
English  and  the  United  States, 
took  actual  control  of  Michigan. 
Among  other  things,  the  Ordin- 
ance of  1787  had  provided  that  the 
Northwest  Territory,  as  it  became 
settled,  should  be  divided  into  from 
three  to  five  parts,  which  should 
be  admitted  as  states  when  the 
population  was  sufficient.  After 
the  War  for  Independence,  the 
Americans  had  been  crossing  the 
Appalachian  Mountains  in  ever  in- 
creasing numbers.  Some  placed 
their  belongings  on  flat  boats  and 

floated  down  the  Ohio  River  till  they  found  a  desirable  place  to  start  a 

home.    Others  crossed  New  York  to  Lake  Erie  and    settled  near  its 

shores.   So  it  was  natural  that 

the  eastern  and  southern  part 

of   the    Northwest    Territory 

should  be  settled  first.     Ohio 

became  a  state   in   1803,   and 

Indiana  and  Illinois  followed 

a  few  years  later. 

By  1805  there  were  near- 
ly 5,000  people  in  southern 
Michigan.  These  people  want- 
ed a  separate  government,  and 
so  in  that  year  Michigan  Ter- 
ritory was  organized  by  the 
National  Government.  The  history  of  our  Michigan,  separate  from 
the  surrounding  territory,  began  in  that  year.    Many  changes   were 


Northwest  Territory 

Showing  the  states  formed  from  it  and 

the  date  of  admission  of  each 

to  the  Union. 


Map  of  Michigan  Territory 

Showing  the  Western  Boundary  Changes 
Between  1805  and  1837. 


THE  AMERICAN  PERIOD — BOUNDARY  CHANGES. 


59 


made  in  the  boundaries  of  Michigan  Territory,  especially  on  the  west, 
before  it  was  made  a  state. 

Within  the  territory,  smaller  divisions  were  made.  As  people 
moved  into  the  different  parts  of  Michigan  they  needed  local  govern- 
ment so  as  to  have  officers  to  attend  to  those  things  that  did  not  affect 
the  people  in  the  other  parts  of  the  territory.  For  instance,  they 
needed  a  sheriff  to  arrest  the  law-breaker,  judges  to  conduct  the  trials, 
and  to  settle  disputes  that  were  sure  to  arise.  For  such  reasons  the 
part  of  the  state  that  was  inhabited  to  any  extent  was  divided  into 
counties.  At  first  there  were  so  few  people  that  only  a  few  counties 
were  needed.  Wayne  County  was  organized  before  Michigan  became 
la  territory,  and  included  .most  of  Michigan  and  part  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
and  Wisconsin. 

For  a  time  the  Saginaw  Valley  was  a  part  of  Oakland  County,, 
with  the  county  seat  at  Pontiac.  (1)  In  1822  Saginaw  County  waa 
established,  extending  to  Saginaw  Bay  and  on  to  the  northern  boun^ 
daries  of  Williams  and  Monitor  Townships,  but  the  valley  was  still 
governed  through  Oakland.  (2)  Then  in  1831,  when  more  people  had 
moved  into  the  Saginaw  Valley,  Midland  and  Arenac  Counties  were 
formed,  Saginaw  County  included  the  southern,  Midland  the  central 
(3),  and  Arenac  the  northern  (4)  part  of  the  present  Bay  County.. 
But  still  the  government  of  all  northeastern 
Michigan  was  carried  on  through  Saginaw 
County,  as  the  other  counties  were  not  yet 
organized  with  the  regular  county  officers. 

Between  1805  and  1837  the  settlement 
of  southern  Michigan  had  been  rapid,  and  to 
give  the  people  a  greater  voice  in  their  local 
government,  and  at  the  same  time  represen- 
tation in  the  United  States  Congress,  the 
State  Constitution  was  drawn  up,  accepted 
by  Congress,  and  in  1837  Michigan  became  a 
state. 

REFERENCES. 

Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Collections- 
dix  under  Political  Organization  and  Boundaries. 
Economic  and  Social  Beginnings  of  Mictiigan- 
Histories  of  the  United  States. 
Histories  of  Michigan. 


Map  of  Saginaw  Valley 
Counties  in  1831. 


-See  Reference  List  in  Appen- 
-Fuller. 


(1) 

1-304, 

305. 

(2) 

1-313, 

31-1. 

(3) 

1-273. 

(4) 

1-99. 

60 


BAY     COUNTY,     PAST     Ax\D     PRESENT. 


O 
O 

o 

xn 
'o 


THE  AMERICAN  PERIOD — INDIAN  TREATIES.  61 

Chapter  XIII. —WHITE  PEOPLE  TAKE  POSSESSION. 

THE  AMERICAN  PERIOD— INDIAN  TREATIES. 


ROM  the  beginning,  the  American  Government  under  the 
leadership  of  Washington,  held  that  the  land  in  the  west  all 
belonged  to  the  Indians,  and  that  the  white  people  could  gain 
possession  only  by  treaties  in  which  the  Indians  agreed  on 
the  transfer  of  the  title  to  their  lands  to  the  United  States  in 
return  for  value  to  be  received  by  them,  from  the  government.  These 
treaties  must  be  held  in  open  council,  and  the  Indians  must  not  be 
forced  to  agree  to  something  the  majority  of  them  did  not  want.  This 
was  the  intention  of  the  American  Government,  although  we  know 
that  in  very  many  cases  the  plan  was  not  carefully  followed  by  its 
agents.    (1) 

Before  Michigan  could  be  settled  permanently  by  the  white  peo- 
ple, it  was  necessary  to  arrange  these  treaties  with  the  Indians  for  the 
sale  of  their  lands.  In  1795,  after  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne  had  put 
down  an  Indian  uprising,  the  Treaty  of  Greenville  opened  the  south- 
eastern part  of  the  state  to  settlement — ^that  region  which  is  in  the 
vicinity  of  Detroit.  In  1807  the  Treaty  of  Detroit  still  further  opened 
southern  Michigan  to  the  white  people.  But  it  was  not  until  1819  that 
the  Treaty  of  Saginaw  brought  the  Saginaw  Valley  and  the  tributary 
valleys — with  the  exception  of  certain  lands  reserved  for  the  use  of 
the  Indians — into  the  possession  of  the  United  States  Government. 

At  this  time.  General  Cass  had  been  Governor  of  Michigan  Ter- 
ritory for  six  years.  He  was  a  very  energetic  man,  and  did  what  he 
could  to  open  the  territory  for  settlement.  He  arranged  for  the  build- 
ing of  roads  which  enabled  the  settlers  to  get  to  the  interior  with 
fewer  hardships  and  then  to  communicate  with  the  outside  world  and 
to  get  necessary  supplies.  He  was  also  very  active  in  arranging 
treaties  with  the  Indians  in  order  to  make  it  possible  for  the  govern- 
ment to  sell  desirable  lands  to  the  new-comers. 

Governor  Cass  came  to  Saginaw  in  1819  and  personally  conducted 
the  meetings  that  were  held  with  the  Indians  to  arrange  a  treaty. 
This  was  no  slight  undertaking.  Saginaw  was  a  long  distance  from 
civilization  ;  it  was  hard  to  reach ;  provisions  for  the  governor's  party 
had  to  be  brought  by  boat  from  Detroit ;  and  the  attitude  of  the  In- 
dians was  uncertain — they  had  a  reputation  for  being  warlike,  and  if 
they  were  not  satisfied  with  their  treatment  they  could  easily  destroy 
the  governor  and  his  party. 


(1)      Pioneer  Directory  of  Sasinaw  Valley,  186G  and  1867,  Pag-es  1  and  2. 


62 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


"He  appeared  upon  the  Saginaw,  upon  the  site  of  what  is  now 
Saginaw  City,  on  the  10th  of  September,  1819,  with  his  staff  of  inter- 
preters and  assistants.  They  made  the  journey  the  whole  distance 
upon  horseback  from  Detroit.  Before  starting  from  Detroit,  the 
General  had  directed  Mr.  Louis  Campau,  who  had  been,  since  1816,  an 
established  Indian  trader  at  that  point  upon  the  Saginaw,  to  build  the 


S 

^-i 

'^^^iKii|^lw,'^'^ia^^^jiBjiswg^ 

^'i 

f  <2^fal 

^^HH^^^4'. 

m 

^Rl 

^^  '  ^■■1 

m 

'^'  ^H 

s 

's'k^m^'^.f^mi     ^^^^9 

("Captain  Joseph  Francois  Marsac  was 
born  near  Detroit  about  1790.  He  com- 
manded a  company  at  the  battle  of  the 
Thames  in  the  War  of  1812.  In  1816  he 
visited  Chicago  as  interpreter  and  trader. 
That  future  metropolis  of  the  West  then 
contained  but  five  block-houses.  In  1819 
General  Cass  sent  for  him  to  assist  in  pass- 
ing the  treaty  of  that  year  with  the  Indians, 
where  Captain  Marsac  did  excellent  ser- 
vice. He  rode  on  horseback  all  over  Mich- 
igan with  General  Cass,  as  the  Governor 
was  determined  to  see  how  things  actually 
looked  in  the  much  abused  interior.  In 
183  6  and  183  7  he  took  a  prominent  part 
in  the  final  treaties  for  the  Indians'  lands. 
He  was  a  close  friend  of  O-ge-ma-ge-ga-to, 
and  did  much  to  win  over  that  powerful 
chieftain.  In  183  8  Captain  Marsac  came 
to  Bay  City,  then  Lower  Saginaw,  as  Indian 
Farmer  and  Government  Agent,  and  he  did 
his  best  to  secure  to  the  red  men  a  safe 
method  of  keeping  their  money,  and  a  few 
who  followed  his  advice  and  invested  their  money  in  real  estate  in  this  vicinity, 
reaped  the  harvest  a  few  years  later.  Captain  Marsac  was  one  of  the  most 
popular  pioneers  here."  —  From  History  of  Bay  County,  by  A.  H.  Gansser. 
Page  94.) 

Council  House  and  make  the  necessary  arrangements   for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  Commissioner  and  his  company. 

The  government  vessels,  laden  with  stores  for  the  subsistence  of 
those  upon  the  treaty  ground,  were  sent  around  by  Lakes  St.  Clair  and 
Huron.  On  one  of  these  was  a  company  of  United  States  soldiers, 
commanded  by  Captain  Cass,  a  brother  of  the  General,  who  had  been 
ordered  to  the  treaty  ground  for  the  protection  of  those  in  attendance. 

"By  the  time  the  Commissioner,  with  his  staff  of  interpreters, 
secretaries  and  assistants  had  arrived,  Mr.  Campau  and  his  employees 
had  constructed  the  Council  House,  It  was  spacious  and  commodious, 
extending  several  hundred  feet  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  a  few  rods 
back  from  the  shore,  and  of  the  requisite  width  to  accommodate  the 
large  number  of  natives  who  were  expected  to  be  present.  Situated 
on  a  slight  ridge  or  second  rise  from  the  shore,  its  position  was  com- 
manding and  pleasant. 

"Trees,  conveniently  situated,  furnished  the  columns  of  the  Coun- 
cil Hall,  and  boughs  interlaced  above  made  the  roof.  The  sides  and 
ends  were  open.    A  platform  made  of  logs,  faced  with  the  axe,  eleva- 


THE  AMERICAN  PERIOD — INDIAN  TREATIES.  63 

led  about  a  foot  above  the  ground,  and  broad  enough  to  accommodate 
upon  rustic  benches  Commissioner  Cass  and  the  other  officials,  occu- 
pied the  central  portion  of  the  Council  Room. 

"Huge  logs  in  their  native  roughness  had  been  rolled  in  upon  the 
other  space  to  be  used  as  seats  by  the  native  lords  of  the  soil  when  in 
solemn  council.  The  bordering  woods  were  dotted  with  temporary 
wigwams,  hastily  and  rudely  constructed  by  the  natives  for  the  accom- 
modation of  themselves  and  their  families  during  the  days  of  the  great 
council. 

"The  number  of  Indians  present  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  was  not 
as  large  as  was  expected.  Messengers  or  runners  had  been  sent  among 
the  different  bands,  some  living  quite  remote  from  the  place  of  holding 
the  Council,  to  notify  them  of  the  proposed  treaty,  and  others  were 
sent  out  for  like  purpose  after  the  fact  became  apparent  that  some 
localities  were  not  properly  represented. 

"The  number  present  upon  the  treaty  ground  on  the  day  when 
the  third  council,  which  was  the  fullest,  was  held,  has  been  variously 
estimated  from  one  thousand  five  hundred  to,  four  thousand.  They 
were  mainly,  but  not  all,  Chippewas.  There  were  but  three  regular 
•councils  or  audiences  held  during  the  ten  or  twelve  days  that  the 
negotiations  were  pending.  At  such  formal  councils  the  chiefs,  war- 
riors, head  men  and  braves  only,  were  called  and  admitted  into  the 
Council  Hall,  although,  the  sides  being  open  and  the  opportunity  for 
hearing  and  seeing  unimpeded,  the  Indian  women  and  their  children 
gathered  in  timid  groups  close  by.  They  were  silent  but  by  no  means 
•disinterested  spectators  of  the  solemn  negotiations  proceeding  within, 
which  involved  no  less  than  a  full  and  final  surrender  of  the  burial 
places  of  their  fathers,  the  ancient  hunting  grounds  of  their  people, 
the  fair  and  beautiful  heritage  of  forest  and  corn  ground,  lake  and 
river. 

"At  the  first  council  General  Cass  made  known  to  the  natives 
through  experienced  and  highly  respected  Indian  traders  and  inter- 
preters, (including  Whittemore  Knaggs  and  Joseph  F.  Marsac)  the 
object  of  his  journey  from  Detroit  and  the  general  purposes  of  our 
Government.  He  endeavored  to  impress  upon  them  the  paternal  re- 
gard which  their  Great  Father  at  Washington  had  for  their  welfare. 
He  reminded  them  of  the  wave  of  civilization  moving  toward  their 
hunting  ground,  of  the  growing  scarcity  of  game,  and  so  of  the  im- 
portance and  necessity  of  turning  their  attention  to  agriculture.  This 
could  be  carried  on  on  the  reservations,  and  the  rest  of  their  land 
could  be  sold  to  the  government  and  so  furnish  them  with  much  money. 

"These  chiefs  acted  as  speakers  for  the  Indians:     Mish-o-ne-na- 


64         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

non-e-quet,  O-ge-ma-ge-ga-to,  and  Kish-kaw-ko.  The  chief  speaker^ 
0-ge-ma-ge-ga-to,  opposed  the  proposition  made  by  Commissioner  Cass 
with  indignation.  His  speech  was  a  model  of  Indian  eloquence.  He 
was  then  quite  young,  not  over  25  years  of  age,  above  the  average 
height,  and  in  his  bearing  graceful  and  handsome.  He  addressed  the 
Commissioner:  'You  do  not  know  our  wishes.  Our  people  wonder 
what  has  brought  you  so  far  from  your  homes.  Your  young  men  have 
invited  us  to  come  and  light  the  council  fire.  We  are  here  to  smoke  the 
pipe  of  peace,  but  not  to  sell  our  lands.  Our  American  Father  wants 
them.  Our  English  Father  treats  us  better.  He  has  never  asked  for 
them.  Your  people  trespass  upon  our  hunting  grounds.  You  flock  to 
our  shores.  Our  waters  grow  warm.  Our  land  melts  like  a  cake  of  ice. 
Our  possessions  grow  smaller  and  smaller.  The  warm  wave  of  the 
white  man  rolls  in  upon  us  and  melts  us  away.  Our  women  reproach 
us.  Our  children  want  homes.  Shall  we  sell  from  under  them  the 
spot  where  they  spread  their  blankets  ?  We  have  not  called  you  here. 
We  smoke  with  you  the  pipe  of  peace.' 

"The  council  for  the  day  closed.  The  Commissioner  with  his  staff 
of  earnest  and  devoted  assistants,  composed  of  gentlemen  distinguish- 
ed at  Indian  councils,  all  retired  to  their  lodgings  disappointed  and 
anxious,  while  the  chiefs  and  headmen  of  the  natives  retired  to  their 
wigwams  in  sullen  dignity,  unapproachable  and  unappeased.  Cer- 
tainly it  was  a  very  unfavorable  opening  of  the  great  and  important 
undertaking  which  General  Cass  had  in  hand."  (2) 

The  situation  was  even  dangerous.  Only  five  years  before  the 
Chippewas  had  been  leagued  with  the  English  against  the  Americans 
in  the  War  of  1812.  At  that  time  they  had  raided  pioneer  settlements 
and  returned  to  the  densely  forested  valley  with  captives  and  booty. 
The  white  men  at  the  treaty  grounds  were  few  in  number  and  the 
small  military  company  on  board  the  schooner  was  far  too  small  to 
make  successful  resistance  against  an  organized  attack  by  the  Indians. 

But  the  Americans  were  wiser  than  the  children  of  the  forest. 
When  their  method  of  treating  directly  with  the  chiefs  failed  to  get 
results  they  made  use  of  Indian  traders,  who  had  the  unlimited  confi- 
dence of  the  Indians,  to  win  them  over.  Chief  among  these  were  Jacob 
Smith  and  Steven  V.  R.  Riley.  For  several  days  little  progress  toward 
a  treaty  was  made,  but  finally,  after  promises  had  been  made  of  large 
Indian  reservations,  and  also  of  reservations  near  Flint  for  Smith  and 
his  children  and  along  the  Saginaw  for  the  children  of  Riley  (3) — a 

(2)  The  above  ticcount  is  quoted,  "with  a  few  changes  and  some  omissions,  from 
"The  Treaty  of  Saginaw,"  by  Charles  P.  Avery,  in  Thomas  and  Galatian's  Pioneer 
Directory  of  the  Saginavir  Valley  for  1866  and  1867.  Much  that  follows  is  taken  from 
the  same  account. 

(3)  See  page  4S. 


THE  AMERICAN  PERIOD — INDIAN  TREATIES.  65 

square  mile  of  land  for  each  child — the  treaty  was  concluded. 

This  treatj^  opened  Michigan  to  settlement  as  far  north  as 
Thunder  Bay,  with  the  exception  of  the  reservations.  Two  of  these 
were  in  the  present  Bay  County.  One,  the  John  Riley  Reserve,  was 
near  the  mouth  of  the  river  on  the  east  side  and  included  what  is  now 
the  main  business  section  of  Bay  City.  The  other,  the  large  Indian 
Reservation  of  40,000  acres,  lay  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  and  ex- 
tended along  the  bay  shore  to  Tobico  Bay.  (4) 

This  Indian  Reservation  is  said  to  have  been  chosen  because  it  in- 
cluded the  most  valuable  of  the  hunting  and  fishing  grounds,  and  corn 
and  rice  lands  of  the  area  involved  in  the  treaty.  It  was  not  definitely 
bounded  in  the  treaty,  but,  according  to  a  letter  written  by  General 
Cass  the  next  year  to  the  United  States  Surveyor  General,  was  to  be 
determined  according  to  the  desire  of  the  Inidans.  He  says:  "As  I 
negotiated  the  treaty  with  the  Indians,  I  feel  anxious  that  everything 
should  be  done  which  can  be  done  with  propriety  to  satisfy  them.  And 
upon  questions  connected  with  their  reservations  I  must  of  course 
know  their  wishes  and  expectations."  (5) 

But  the  Indians  were  not  left  long  in  possession  of  even  this 
limited  area.  In  1887,  when  Michigan  took  her  place  as  the  twenty- 
sixth  state  in  the  Union,  another  treaty  was  concluded  which  provided 
for  the  sale  of  most  of  this  reserve  for  $5.00  an  acre.  What  was  left 
after  a  certain  date  was  to  be  sold  at  $2.50  per  acre.  The  money  was 
to  be  paid  to  the  Indians  in  monthly  instalments,  after  the  surveyors, 
together  with  certain  claims  against  the  Indians,  had  been  paid.  (6) 

REFERENCES. 

Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Collections — See  Reference  List  in  the  Ap- 
pendix under  Indian  Treaties. 

Economic  and  Social  Beginnings  of  Michigan — Fuller;  Pages  59  and  5  20- 
530. 

Pioneer  Directory  of  the  Saginaw  Valley  for  1S66  and  1867,  by  Thomas  and 
Galatian;  Pages  1-14. 

Bay  County  History — Gansser;  Page  5  6. 

Bay  County  History,  1883;  Pages  11  and  12. 


(4)  See  Map  oi  Bay  Countj'  for  the  boundary  line  of  this  reserve. 

(5)  XXXVI.  431. 

(6)  Bay  County  History,  1S83.     Page  11. 


66 


BAY  COUNTY.  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Sherman  School. 


Trombley  School. 


THE     AMERICAN     PERIOD.  67 

Chapter  XIV. 

THE  WHITE  PEOPLE  TAKE  POSSESSION— 
THE  AMERICAN  PERIOD. 

CONDITIONS  FAVORABLE  AND  UNFAVORABLE  TO  SETTLEMENT. 

NE  of  the  first  and  most  important  things  needed  to  encourage 
the  settlement  of  a  new  region  is  the  organization  of  a  good 
government.  We  have  followed  some  of  the  changes  made  in 
the  government  of  this  territory  that  took  place  with  the  in- 
crease in  population.  But  at  times  the  government  of  Mich- 
igan Territory  was  so  poor,  so  evidently  in  the  interests  of  a  few  who 
had  succeeded  in  being  appointed  to  office  far  from  the  source  of  con- 
trol at  Washington,  that  there  was  general  dissatisfaction.  Angry 
and  persistent  protests  on  the  part  of  the  people  brought  a  change  for 
the  better.  But  much  damage  to  the  new  territory  had  already  been 
done.  (1)  The  very  protests  carried  the  disagreeable  news  of  our  mis- 
management to  the  eastern  states.  It  was  published  and  discussed  in 
the  leading  newspapers  of  the  east^  Whether  it  was  true  or  not,  the 
people  in  that  part  of  the  country  were  led  to  believe  Michigan  to  be 
the  poorest  governed  region  in  the  west,  and  of  course  the  good  news 
of  improvement  could  not  command  the  same  attention  as  the  evil 
news.  There  is  no  doubt  that  many  people  coming  west,  desiring  to 
be  secure  in  the  possession  of  their  property  and  to  have  protection 
from  lawless  men,  were  careful  to  avoid  Michigan  on  account  of  these 
reports. 

From  the  earliest  times  there  had  been  occasional  uprisings 
among  the  Indians,  accompanied  by  massacres  and  torture  of  the 
white  settlers  on  the  frontier.  This  kept  many  from  venturing  west. 
But  a  succession  of  decisive  victories  for  the  Americans  changed  this 
condition  to  one  of  reasonable  security.  Among  the  most  noted  of 
these  were  those  by : 

George  Rogers  Clark — "Big  Knife  Chief" — at  Kaskaskia  in  Ill- 
inois in  1778;  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne— "The  Chief  That  Never 
Sleeps" — at  Maumee  Rapids  in  Ohio  in  1794,  which  was  followed  by 
the  Treaty  of  Greenville  mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter;  and 
William  Henry  Harrison  at  Tippecanoe  in  Indiana  in  1811.  Added  to 
these  defeats  of  the  Indians  was  the  failure  of  the  English  to  make 
good  their  promises  made  to  them  during  the  War  of  1812.  From 
that  time  on,  there  was  no  further  serious  trouble  with  the  Indians. 

THE  INDIAN  LANDS. 

But  the  possession  of  the  land  by  the  Indians  still  prevented  per- 

(1)     Fuller,  pagrs  S2-85. 


68         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

manent  settlement  in  any  part  of  Michigan  except  in  the  south  until 
several  treaties,  especially  the  great  Treaty  of  1819,  were  made  be- 
tween the  natives  and  the  National  Government.  These  treaties, 
limiting  the  rights  of  the  Indians  and  opening  vast  tracts  of  excellent 
farm  and  timber  land  to  settlement  at  very  low  prices,  were  among 
the  most  important  of  the  influences  favoring  the  settlement  of  the 
Saginaw  Valley. 

FALSE  AND  MISLEADING  EEPORTS. 

But  while  travel  was  so  very  difficult,  settlement  of  the  North- 
west Territory  must  necessarily  be  slow.  We  have  seen  how  the  immi- 
grants crossed  the  Appalachian  Mountains,  and  floated  down  the  Ohio 
River  or  worked  their  way  across  New  York  State  to  the  Great  Lakes 
and  then  went  by  sail  boat  or  along  the  shore  into  northern  Ohio. 
Many  reached  Detroit  and  settled  in  the  southern  part  of  Michigan. 
But  there  the  movement  stopped — ^the  interior  was  still  mostly  un- 
known. 

Traveling  into  the  interior  was  very  diff'icult,  and  the  storms  on 
the  lakes  made  travel  by  boat  dangerous.  More  than  this,  the  reports 
about  Michigan  represented  the  wilderness  as  being  far  worse  than 
was  actually  the  case.  The  Saginaw  Indians,  noted  for  their  warlike 
nature,  were  feared  more  than  were  the  Indians  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  state,  and  in  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Boats  frequently  sailed 
up  Saginaw  Bay  and  into  the  river  to  trade,  but  Saginaw  Bay  was 
reported  "a  gulf  of  terror"  (2)  in  those  days,  and  no  doubt  was  avoid- 
ed by  all  but  the  most  venturesome. 

More  than  this,  it  was  reported  and  generally  believed  that  the 
interior  of  Michigan  was  "an  impenetrable  swamp,  in  whose  slimy 
recesses  the  cowardly  wolf  held  carnival  by  day  and  the  ill-omened  owl 
hooted  away  the  lonely  vigils  of  the  gloomy  night."  (3)  Such  an  ac- 
count was  included  in  Morse's  geography  and  was  taught  in  the  schools 
throughout  the  country.  What  dry  land  there  was  supposed  to  exist 
between  the  swamps  was  reported  to  be  barren  sand  ridges.  (4)  Even 
as  late  as  1815  the  surveyors  reported  to  the  United  States  Government 
that  such  was  the  condition  of  practically  all  of  the  interior  of  Mich- 
igan. They  said  that  it  was  not  worth  the  expense  of  surveying.  (5) 
Even  as  late  as  1820  General  Cass,  such  a  tireless  worker  for  the  open- 
ing of  Michigan  to  settlers,  and  one  so  anxious  to  correct  the  previous 
false  reports  and  to  have  correct  knowledge  of  this  territory  given  out, 


It  -  is    verj'  inter- 


(2) 
(3) 

IX. 
VI. 

102, 
108. 

'    (4) 

(b) 
escing. 

Fuller, 
See  X. 

page 
61  an 

50. 
a  62, 

for 

the 

actiial 

report 

of 

the 

surveyors. 

THE     AMERICAN     PERIOD.  69 

stated  in  a  letter  that  "the  country  in  the  angle  between  Fort  Gratiot 
(near  Port  Huron)  and  Saginaw  Bay  can  never  be  of  importance." 
(6)  He  was  referring  to  the  "Thumb,"  which  now  has  some  of  the  best 
farm  lands  in  Michigan. 

Added  to  these  unfavorable  reports — troublesome  Indians,  "in- 
terminable swamps,"  and  "sandy  barrens" — were  reports  that  in- 
terior Michigan,  and  especially  the  Saginaw  Valley,  was  very  un- 
healthf  ul.  In  1822  the  United  States  troops  were  sent  to  the  Saginaw 
region  from  Green  Bay  on  account  of  the  restlessness  of  the  Indians, 
and  the  troops  were  taken  sick,  almost  to  a  man,  with  fever.  This 
condition  was  so  bad  that  they  were  ordered  to  Detroit  early  the  next 
year.  This  fact  no  doubt  helped  to  spread  the  report  regarding  bad 
health  conditions. 

Doctor  J.  L.  Whiting  says :  "In  1823  the  Quartermaster  insisted 
upon  my  going  to  Saginaw  to  attend  to  a  sick  garrison  from  Green 
Bay.  The  troops  were  suffering  from  malignant  intermitting  fever, 
and  at  the  end  of  three  weeks'  attendance  upon  them  I  was  knocked 
out  myself.  I  found  the  whole  garrison  sick,  with  one  or  two  excep- 
tions, and  Dr.  Zina  Pitcher,  the  surgeon  in  charge,  was  the  sickest  of 
the  lot.  He  was  completely  broken  up.  He  had  some  120  souls,  old 
and  young,  under  his  care,  and  all  of  them  sick  but  one,  with  one  of 
the  most  abominable  distressing  fevers  imaginable.  He  was  all  alone, 
one  hundred  miles  from  anywhere,  with  an  apalling  amount  of  work 
on  hand,  and  no  wonder  he  broke  down.  When  I  reached  Saginaw 
he  was  being  carried  all  over  the  garrison  on  a  mattress  by  men  well 
enough  as  yet  to  move  about  or  lift  anything,  giving  opinions  and 
advice,  and  a  dreadful  sight  he  presented,  I  can  assure  you."  (7)  The 
commander  of  the  troops  "reported  to  the  Government  that  'nothing 
but  Indians,  muskrats,  and  bullfrogs  could  possibly  exist  here.'  " 

The  sickness  was  probably  due  to  the  previous  condition  of  the 
troops  and  a  particularly  wet  season.  The  Saginaw  Valley  has  not 
proved  to  be  more  unhealthful  than  other  parts  of  the  state,  and  Mich- 
igan, with  the  Great  Lakes,  its  interior  lakes,  and  pine  lands  has  been 
more  healthful  than  most  of  the  surrounding  states.  (9)  But  it  took 
a  long  time  for  these  facts  to  become  known,  and  meantime  among 
hundreds  of  people  migrating  westward  from  the  Atlantic  coast,  very 
few  of  them  would  come  to  Michigan. 

Even  in  1831,  when  the  Frenchman,  DeTocqueville,  was  at  Pon- 
tiac  and  decided  to  visit  Saginaw,  he  was  urged  by  his  landlord  at  the 


(6)  XXXVI.  431. 

(7)  IV.  117. 
(S)  Fuller  368. 

(9)  Ftillei-,  pag-e  7. 


70         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

hotel  not  to  attempt  such  a  dangerous  undertaking.  DeTocqueville 
says:  (10)  "At  the  name  of  Saginaw,  a  remarkable  change  came 
over  his  features.  It  seemed  as  if  he  had  been  suddenly  snatched 
from  real  life  and  transported  to  a  land  of  wonders.  His  eyes  dilated, 
his  mouth  fell  open,  and  the  most  complete  astonishment  pervaded  his 
countenance.  'You  want  to  go  to  Saginaw!'  exclaimed  he;  'to  Sag- 
inaw Bay !  Two  foreign  gentlemen,  two  rational  men,  want  to  go  to 
Saginaw  Bay!  It  is  scarcely  credible.'  'And  why  not?'  we  replied, 
'But  are  you  well  aware,'  continued  our  host,  'what  you  undertake? 
Do  you  know  that  Saginaw  is  the  last  inhabited  spot  towards  the 
Pacific;  that  between  this  place  and  Saginaw  lies  an  uncleared 
wilderness?  Do  you  know  that  the  forest  is  full  of  Indians  and  mos- 
quitoes ;  that  you  must  sleep  at  least  for  one  night  under  damp  trees  ? 
Have  you  thought  about  the  fever?  Will  you  be  able  to  get  on  in  the 
wilderness,  and  to  find  your  way  in  the  labyrinth  of  our  forests  ?'  " 

But  the  true  value  and  beauty  of  our  state  could  not  continue  to 
be  misrepresented.  Hardy  pioneers  were  willing  to  risk  the  great 
dangers  reported.  They  found  such  favorable  conditions  that  they 
took  pains  to  spread  the  truth.  Gradually  the  bad  reports  were 
changed  to  glowing  accounts  of  a  region  of  valuable  timber  and  of 
wonderful  farm  lands. 

THE  STEAMBOAT. 

In  1818  there  occurred  an  event  that  was  to  have  a  great  influence 
on  the  settlement  of  Michigan.  Travel  on  the  waters  of  this  region 
up  to  this  time  had  been  slow,  dangerous,  and  very  expensive.  In 
1807  Fulton  invented  his  wonderful  steamboat,  and  in  1818  the 
Walk-in-theWater,  the  first  steamboat  on  the  Great  Lakes,  made  its 
way  from  Buffalo  to  Detroit  with  29  passengers.  No  longer  did  the 
boats  have  to  await  favorable  winds,  nor  were  they  longer  at  the  com- 
plete mercy  of  the  storms  of  Lake  Erie.  The  use  of  the  steamboats 
grew  rapidly.  In  1831  "in  one  week  in  May,  steamboat  arrivals 
numbered  about  2000"  at  Detroit.  (11)  It  is  claimed  in  several  early 
accounts  that  it  was  in  1836  that  the  first  steamboat  on  the  Saginaw 
River,  the  Governor  Marcy,  made  its  way  up  as  far  as  Saginaw.  But 
DeTocqueville,  (12)  writing  in  1831,  five  years  before  the  date  given 
above,  says :  "Once  a  year  a  vessel  steams  up  the  Saginaw.  She  car- 
ries to  the  new  settlement  the  products  of  human  industry,  and  in 
return  takes  away  the  fruits  of  the  soil."  At  any  rate,  there  was  soon 
regular  service  between  here  and  Detroit  during  the  season  of  naviga- 


(10)  Memoirs,  Vol.  I,  page  161. 

(11)  Fuller,  pages  70  and  71. 

(12)  Memoirs,  Vol  I,  page  187. 


THE     AMERICAN     PERIOD 


71 


tion,  and   many  of  our  pioneer  families   came   with  their   household 
goods  in  this  way. 

THE  ERIE  CANAL. 

In  1825  there  was  another  great  event  in  the  history  of  western 
transportation  and  immigration.    It  was  the  completion  of  the  Erie 


The  Erie  Canal. 

Canal..  The  main  movement  westward  up  to  this  time  had  been 
along  the  Ohio  Valley.  But  New  York,  under  Governor  Clinton,  had 
a  dream  of  great  possibilities  for  her  future  importance  by  connecting 
the  Hudson  River  with  Lake  Erie  by  means  of  a  long  canal  which 
would  enable  products  to  be  exchanged  with  the  west  easily  and 
cheaply. 

Clinton's  Ditch,  or  Clinton's  Folly,  as  the  proposed  canal  was 
scornfully  called  while  being  built,  was  opened  for  use  in  1825.  Its 
wonderful  value  was  shown  immediately.  "It  changed  the  direction 
of  western  emigration  from  the  Ohio  Valley  to  the  line  of  the  canal 
and  the  Great  Lakes.  Michigan  would  therefore  profit  directly  from 
the  interception  of  many  settlers  who  had  originally  planned  to  go 
farther  west."  (13)  Freight  rates  between  the  east  and  the  Great 
Lakes  region  dropped.  "The  cost  of  carrying  one  ton  of  wheat  from 
Lake  Erie  to  the  sea  fell  from  $120  to  $19,  The  lands  of  the  farmers 
along  the  canal  rose  to  three  times  their  former  value."  (14) 

With  travel  made  much  easier  and  cheaper,  and  with  the  pos- 
sibility of  getting  a  better  market  for  the  western  products,  many 
more  people  were  anxious  to  move  westward  into  that  land  of  possi- 
bilities.   From  1825   there  was  a  steady  stream  of   immigrants   into 


(13)  Fuller,  pag-e  73. 

(14)  McLaughlin  and  Van  Tyne,  History  of  the  United  States,  page  260. 

(15)  See  map  of  the  Erie  Canal  route  and  the  states  adjacent  to  it. 


72 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Michigan  from  the  New  England  states,  New  York,  and  Pennsylvania. 
(15)  The  settlement  of  the  Saginaw  Valley  really  began  in  the  years 
immediately  following  the  opening  of  that  great  water  highway. 

REFERENCES. 

Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Collections — See  Reference  List  in  the  Ap- 
pendix under  the  topics:  Travel;  Transportation,  and  Communication;  and 
Saginaw  A^alley— Unfavorable  Reports. 

Economic  and  Social  Beginnings  of  Michigan — Fuller,  especially  Chapters 
II.  and  VII. 

Memoirs  and  Remains  of  DeTocqueville,  Vol.  I — A  Fortnight  in  the  Wilder- 
ness. 

Histories  of  Michigan  and  of  the  United  States. 


Lincoln  School. 


SETTLEMENT — THE  FIRST  SETTLERS.  73 

Chapter  XV. 

SETTLEMENT— THE  FIRST  SETTLERS. 

HEN  DeTocqueville  visited  the  valley  in  1831,  there  were  just 
a  few  houses  and  about  twenty  people  in  Saginaw,  and  here 
and  there  in  the  surrounding  country  could  be  seen  a  trader's 
cabin.  All  else  was  wilderness.  But  DeTocqueville  under- 
stood clearly  what  was  in  store  for  the  valley.  He  wrote :  "In 
a  few  years  these  impenetrable  forests  will  have  fallen ;  the  sons  of 
civilization  and  industry  will  break  the  silence  of  the  Saginaw;  its 
echoes  will  cease ;  its  banks  will  be  imprisoned  by  quays ;  its  current, 
which  now  flows  on  unnoticed  and  tranquil  through  a  nameless  waste, 
will  be  stemmed  by  the  prows  of  vessels.  More  than  100  miles  sever 
this  solitude  from  the  great  European  settlements ;  and  we  were,  per- 
haps, the  last  travelers  to  see  its  primitive  grandeur."  (1) 

He  was  right — the  valley  was  all  ready  for  occupation  by  the  white 
race.  Southern  Michigan  was  being  settled  rapidly  by  people  from 
Canada,  New  York,  and  the  New  England  states.  Many  of  these  peo- 
ple were  accustomed  to  life  in  the  forest  regions  near  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  They  would  be  quite  at  home  in  the  forests  of  the  Saginaw. 
There  was  a  demand  for  land  by  the  new-comers,  and  here  was  good 
land  at  a  few  dollars  per  acre.  Building  operations  of  the  settlers 
in  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  southern  Michigan  made  an  ever- 
increasing  demand  for  the  fine,  even-graded,  easily  worked,  and 
durable  pine  timber.  Millions  of  feet  of  this  timber  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Saginaw  could  be  reached  by  an  all-water  route,  and  as  this  was 
about  the  southern  limit  of  these  forests,  the  first  real  attack  upon 
them  would  begin  here.  The  village  of  Saginaw  was  already  nearly 
ten  years  old,  and  formed  a  convenient  little  center  from  which  the 
trader  and  settler  could  obtain  a  limited  supply  of  necessities,  and  so 
save  many  a  long  trip  to  Detroit. 

It  was  in  the  very  year  of  the  noted  Frenchman's  visit,  1831,  that 
the  first  permanent  settler  within  the  limits  of  Bay  County  (Leon 
Tromble)  came  from  Detroit  as  the  government  agricultural  agent  and 
built  his  log  cabin  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river  (at  the  foot  of  Fourth 
street) ,  which  was  on  the  John  Riley  Reserve.  He  came  to  teach  the 
Indians  how  to  farm,  but  he  was  really  a  fur  trader  who  combined  the 
two  lines  of  work.  He  cleared  half  an  acre  of  ground,  planted  pota- 
toes, and  left  for  Detroit  to  get  his  family.  (2)  Indians  were  to  culti- 
vate the  potatoes  during  his  absence.  But  his  lesson  in  agriculture 
was  evidently  a  failure,  for  on  his  return  he  found  the  potato-patch 
utterly  neglected,  although    the   remarkably   fine   potato    soil  of  this 


(1)  Memoirs,  Vol.  I.,  page  196. 

(2)  Bay  County  History,  1883, 


page  15. 


74 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


county  had  produced  a  good  winter's  supply  without  human  help. 

That  Mr.  Tromble  located  where  he  did  without  thought  of  re- 
maining long,  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  he  did  not  buy  any  of  the 
land  in  this  vicinity,  which  was  so  cheap  at  that  time.  According  to 
his  own  account  he  once  refused  to  trade  his  horse  for  a  whole  section 
of  land  here,  saying  later,  "Who  would  have  thought  a  city  would  be 
built  in  these  swamps?"  (2)  But  other  settlers  soon  came,  and  Mr. 
Tromble  lived  here  long  enough  to  see  Bay  City  a  thriving  place. 

Three  years  after  the  coming  of  Leon  Tromble,  two  others  built 
their  log  cabins  on  the  river  bank,  but  the  three  settlers  were  rather 
distant  neighbors.  John  B.  Trduell,  fur  trader,  located  about  a  mile 
above  Tromble's  cabin  on  the  same  side  of  the  river,  and  Benjamin 
Cushway,  like  Tromble  a  combined  trader  and  government  agent,, 
built  his  little  blacksmith  shop,  for  the  use  of  the  Indians,  on  the  west 
bank  near  Salzburg  avenue. 

During  the  next  year,  1835,  Joseph  and  Mader  Tromble  were  the 
new  arrivals.  They  were  the  first  settlers  who  came  with  the  definite 
intention  of  making  their  home  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Saginaw  Val- 


MADER  TROMBLE. 
Mader  Tromble  settled  in  the  un- 
broken woods  where  Bay  City  now  stands, 
in  the  early  September  of  1835.  In  those 
days  Indians  and  game  abounded,  and  there 
was  not  another  white  settler  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. He  and  his  brother  Joseph  bought 
a  tract  of  land  about  one  mile  in  length 
along  the  Saginaw  River,  where  is  now  the 
site  of  Bay  City,  and  they  were  the  first 
to  locate  on  land  of  their  own  in  this  city. 
They  built  the  first  house,  which  was  a 
block-house,  and  kept  the  first  store  on  the 
river  at  this  point,  carrying  on  a  trade  with 
the  Indians.  In  183  6  they  built  the  Center 
House,  into  which  they  soon  moved.  They 
traded  with  the  Chippewas  and  spoke  their 
language.  Later  they  lost  their  property 
here,  after  which  they  devoted  themselves 
to  tracking  and  hunting  for  furs,  and  still 
later  carried  on  fishing  with  the  spear. 
Mr.  Tromble  dealt  extensively  in  real  estate 

and  platted  several  additions  to  the  city. — Whittier  School. 

Mader  Tromble  was  born  in  Detroit,  November    16,    1813.     His  father  was 

Thomas  Tromble. 


ley  at  all  permanent.  They  were  two  young  French  brothers  from 
Detroit.  Their  father  had  sent  a  boat  with  provisions  here  in  advance 
so  they  would  have  some  supplies  ready  for  use  upon  their  arrival. 
But  the  boat  crew,  not  finding  a  landing  place,  went  on  up  the  river  to 
Saginaw.    That  settlement  was  very  short  of  provisions   at  the  time 


SETTLEMENT — THE  FIRST  SETTLERS. 


75 


and  made  use  of  most  of  the  Tromble  cargo.  As  a  result,  the  new- 
comers lacked  flour  and  other  provisions  and  were  in  dire  straits  for 
a  time.  As  another  boat  load  of  provisions  was  to  be  sent  to  them 
before  winter  set  in,  the  brothers  watched  anxiously  for  it.  When  it 
was  sighted  coming  up  the  river,  it  is  said  that  one  of  the  young  men 
went  to  meet  it  in  a  canoe.  He  went  on  board,  broke  open  a  barrel  of 
flour,  and  going  ashore  at  once,  started  a  fire.  He  mixed  some  of  the 
flour  with  water  and  baked  it.  He  was  soon  eating  the  emergency 
bread — perhaps  the  first  bread  baked  in  Bay  County.  It  is  doubtful 
if  any  bread  that  has  been  baked  here  since  has  tasted  better. 


The  Center  House. 


That  Joseph  and  Mader  Tromble  came  with  a  definite  idea  of  de- 
veloping the  region,  and  on  that  account  might  be  considered  by  many 
as  the  first  real  settlers  of  Bay  County,  is  shown  in  three  ways : 
First,  they  bought  large  tracts  of  land  along  the  river  between  Twenty- 
third  street  and  Cass  avenue,  getting  the  first  Government  Land 
Patent  in  Bay  County ;  second,  they  brought  cattle  with  them — Mader 
Tromble  coming  slowly  after  Joseph,  driving  the  cattle  overland ;  and 
third,  they  built  a  log  trading  store  and  immediately  set  about  the 
erection  of  a  large  frame  house  on  the  high  ground  at  Twenty-fourth 
and  Water  streets.    This  was  to  be  used  both  as  a  store  and  residence. 

The  building  of  a  frame  house  in  the  wilderness  was  a  very  diffi- 
cult undertaking — so  far  from  a  supply  of  lumber  and  other  building 


76 


BAY  COUNTY.  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


materials.  It  had  an  air  of  permanency  that  can  hardly  be  realized 
today.  But  though  built  under  great  difficulties,  we  can  believe  that 
it  was  well  built  and  deserved  the  name  it  long  had  of  being  one  of  the 
best  houses  in  this  part  of  the  state,  when  we  see  it  still  standing  after 
nearly  a  century.  The  lumber  for  this  "Big  House,"  or  "Center 
House"  as  it  was  called,  was  brought  from  Detroit  at  a  total  cost  of 


JUDGE  ALBERT  MILLER. 


Albert  Miller  was  a  native  of  Vermont, 
and  was  born  in  Hartland,  May  10,  1810. 
For  twenty  years  be  continued  to  reside  in 
bis  native  town,  and  tben,  in  September, 
183  0,  started  for  Micbigan,  arriving  in  De- 
troit on  the  22nd  of  that  month,  when  the 
city  contained  a  population  of  2,220.  He 
taught  the  second  term  of  school  that  was 
ever  taught  north  of  Oakland  county  and 
also  taught  the  first  school  in  the  Saginaw 
Valley  in  the  winter  of  1834. 

He  bought  the  land  where  Portsmouth 
afterward  stood,  laid  out  the  town  and 
commenced  to  improve  it.  That  was  in 
July,  183  6.  During  the  following  winter 
he  built  the  second  steam  saw-mill  ever 
erected  in  the  Saginaw  Valley.  When  Sag- 
inaw county  was  organized,  he  received  a 
commission  as  Probate  Judge  and  Justice 
of  the  Peace  from  Governor  Mason,  and 
held  the  position  for  many  years. 

In  the  meantime  Judge  Miller  continued  in  the  mercantile  business  until 
the  panic  of  1837  caused  temporary  embarrassment  and  forced  him  to  retire. 
He  commenced  anew  in  1845  and  continued  until  185  2,  and  while  merchandising 
also  conducted  farming  operations  on  the  Tittabawassee  River.  In  1847  he 
represented  Saginaw  County  in  the  legislature  during  the  last  session  in  Detroit, 
and  was  a  strong  advocate  for  the  removal  of  the  capital  to  Lansing. 

After  1852  Judge  Miller  was  principally  engaged  in  improving  and  disposing 
of  Portsmouth  property  until  1874,  when  he  removed  to  Bay  City.  He  served  as 
supervisor  of  Saginaw,  Hampton  and  Portsmouth  townships,  and  as  president 
of  the  Village  of  Portsmouth.  He  was  director  of  the  first  railroad  company 
that  built  a  railroad  to  Bay  City  and  was  one  of  its  active  promoters.  He  was  a 
stockholder  and  director  of  the  first  salt  manufacturing  company  at  this  end  of 
the  river,  and  the  second  in  the  valley — it  being  known  as  the  Portsmouth  Salt 
Manufacturing  Company.  He  was  also  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Second 
National  Bank  of  Bay  City. 

One  of  the  first  to  devote  his  attention  to  the  reclaiming  of  the  prairie  lands, 
through  failing  health  he  was  compelled  to  relinquish  his  labors  before  they 
were  brought  to  perfection.  He  was  a  member  of  the  School  board.  Toward 
the  organization  of  the  State  Pioneer  and  Historical  Society  in  1874,  he  con- 
tributed his  best  efforts,  and  was  its  first  president.  Up  to  189  2  the  society  had 
published  sixteen  volumes  of  pioneer  and  historical  collections,  many  pages  of 
which  were  contributed  by  the  judge.  He  died  September  19,  1893. — Whittier 
School. 


$20.00  per  thousand  feet — $16.00  being  paid  for  the  lumber  itself  and 
$4.00  per  thousand  for  freight. 

The  Trombles,  Trudell  and  Cushway  were  soon  followed  by 
others.  In  1836  and  1837  came  Judge  Albert  Miller  and  James  Fraser, 
two  young  pioneers  of  the  upper  Saginaw  who  were   destined  to  be 


SETTLEMENT — THE  FIRST  SETTLERS. 


77 


among  Bay  City's  leading  promoters — in  fact,  their  coming  at  this 
time  was  not  as  settlers,  but  as  promoters.  They  did  not  move  here 
till  somewhat  later. 

We  have  seen  that  there  was  a  demand  among  the  settlers  of  the 
middle  west  for  land.  This  gave  speculators  their  chance.  They 
would  borrow  m.oney  from  the  banks,  buy  land,  lay  out  a  "paper 
village,"  and  sell  lots  to  new  arrivals,  and  then  repeat  the  process 
elsewhere  if  they  had  a  good  sale  of  lots,    A  wise  choice  of  land  might 


JAMES  ERASER. 
James  Eraser,  unlike  most  of  the  early 
settlers,  was  born  outside  of  America.  He 
was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  came  to  Am- 
erica in  1829  when  twenty-six  years  of  age. 
He  came  direct  to  Michigan,  and  after  fail- 
ing in  a  saw-mill  project  near  Rochester, 
he  made  a  success  of  the  grocery  business 
in  Detroit.  He  bought  some  land  on  the 
Tittabawassee  River  and  moved  there  in 
1833.  He  started  a  farm  and  orchard,  but 
moved  to  Saginaw  in  183  6.  Now  he  began 
to  take  part  in  the  land  speculation  so  com- 
mon in  those  days,  and  his  wisdom  in 
choosing  valuable  land  and  in  buying  and 
selling  at  just  the  right  time,  soon  brought 
him  considerable  wealth.  It  was  in  con- 
nection with  this  work  that  he  organized 
the  Saginaw  Bay  Company  for  the  purpose 
of  starting  a  town  at  Lower  Saginaw.  From 
this  time  on  he  was  engaged  in  many  enter- 
prises for  the  upbuilding  of  the  town  he 
had  started.  He  became  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  in  1845  and 
soon  was  interested  in  a  number  of  mills,  both  here  and  on  the  Kawkawlin  river. 
He  did  not  take  up  his  residence  in  Bay  City  until  1857.  He  then  built  the 
Eraser  House  on  the  site  of  the  Wenonah  Hotel.  Mr.  Eraser  moved  to  Connec- 
ticut in  1864,  and  died  there  in  1866. 

This  pioneer  was  noted  for  his  endurance  as  a  horse-back  rider.  "He  more 
than  once  rode  straight  through  from  Saginaw  City  to  Detroit  by  the  light  of  a 
single  sun — a  distance  of  about  95  miles — on  some  occasions  never  changing  his 
horse.  Often  in  the  dead  of  night,  the  solitary  settler  at  the  Cass  Crossing  would 
hear  a  horse  thundering  at  full  speed  across  the  bridge,  and  would  say  the  next 
morning  that  James  Eraser  had  gone  in  or  out,  as  the  case  might  be." — Bay 
County  History,  1883,  page  67. 


pay  a  small  fortune  to  the  investor,  and  a  poor  choice  for  the  location 
of  the  "paper  village"  might  cause  the  loss  of  all  one's  savings. 

Judge  Miller  believed  this  part  of  the  valley  was  certain  to  be  the 
location  of  a  city.  He  purchased  land  from  the  Tromble  brothers 
which  extended  on  either  side  of  Cass  avenue  and  faced  the  river.  He 
laid  out  his  "paper  village"  of  Portsmouth  (1836)  and  went  to  De- 
troit to  attempt  to  sell  his  lots.  They  evidently  did  not  sell  very 
rapidly,  for  he  soon  decided  that  he  had  better  show  his  confidence  in 
the  new  village  by  locating  there  himself,  and  by  building  a  saw-mill 
with  which  to  supply  settlers   with   necessary  lumber.    He   and  two 


78         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

other  well-kno^vn  pioneers,  Cromwell  Barney  and  B.  K.  Hall,  after 
overcoming  many  difficulties  in  getting  the  machinery  here,  erected 
the  first  steam  saw-mill  in  Bay  County  in  the  fall  of  1836  and  early 
spring  of  1837. 

James  Fraser,  who  also  believed  in  the  future  of  this  part  of  the 
Saginaw  Valley  as  a  location  for  a  city,  organized  the  Saginaw  Bay 
Company.  In  1837  the  company,  composed  mostly  of  business  men 
from  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  including  Governor  Stevens  T. 
Mason,  bought  that  part  of  the  Riley  Reserve  which  lay  between  Wood- 
side  avenue  and  a  line  400  feet  south  of  Tenth  street,  and  extending 
east  from  the  river  to  a  line  100  feet  east  of  Van  Buren  street.  (3) 
The  village  of  Lower  Saginaw  was  surveyed  and  divided  into  lots — 
another  "paper  village"  with  but  one  or  two  settlers.  There  are  some 
interesting  provisions  in  the  original  plat.  It  shows  that  the  village 
was  carefully  and  wisely  planned.  Three  parks  were  provided,  one 
at  First  and  Water  streets,  another  at  Center  and  Jefferson,  and  the 
third  at  Ninth  and  Madison  streets.  In  every  other  block  along  Wash- 
ington avenue  two  lots  were  set  aside  for  churches.  The  parks  were 
to  be  kept  for  public  use  for  all  time,  and  the  church  lots  were  to  be- 
come the  property  of  the  churches  that  received  permission  from  the 
company  to  erect  buildings  on  them. 

But  speculation  in  land,  together  with  other  conditions,  caused  a 
general  panic  throughout  the  United  States,  and  more  particularly  in 
the  new  states  in  the  middle  west.  Banks  had  borrowed  money  from 
the  United  States  Government,  and  had  loaned  it  to  speculators  with 
land  as  security.  Poor  choice  of  land  caused  speculators  to  fail.  They 
could  not  pay  what  they  had  borrowed  from  the  banks.  The  banks 
could  not  pay  the  government  when  it  called  in  its  funds,  and  so  they 
became  bankrupt.  This  caused  men  and  firms  who  had  money  in  those 
banks  to  fail.  The  buying  of  land  even  in  small  amounts  had  to  stop 
for  lack  of  money,  and  business  in  general  was  at  a  standstill. 

Judge  Miller  and  James  Fraser  did  not  fail  completely  in  this 
general  panic,  but  they  could  not  sell  lots  under  such  conditions,  so 
the  new  villages  of  Portsmouth  and  Lower  Saginaw  had  to  wait  for  a 
population,  aside  from  a  very  few  settlers,  for  nearly  ten  years.  Many 
of  the  members  of  the  Saginaw  Bay  Company  did  fail,  and  their  part 
in  the  company  was  taken  over  by  Mr.  Fraser,  James  G.  Birney,  Dr. 
D.  H.  Fitzhugh  and  a  few  others.  Judge  Miller  moved  here  for  a  few 
months,  but  then  abandoned  his  mill  and  went  up  the  river  on  a  farm, 
returning  several  years  later  (1848)  to  make  this  his  permanent  resi- 
dence. 


(3)      The  original  Lower  Saginaw  plat  is  still  on  file  in  the  Court  House.     It  was 
drawn  by  James  G.  Birney.) 


SETTLEMENT — THE  FIRST  SETTLERS. 


79 


But  in  spite  of  these  conditions  between  1837  and  1847,  some  of 
the  best  of  our  pioneers  took  up  their  residences  here  during  that 
decade.  In  1841  Judge  Albert  Miller  sold  his  mill  to  a  hardy  pioneer 
who  had  previously  owned  property  between  here  and  Detroit  (James 
McCormick)  who  also  purchased  the  Tromble  house,  which  became 
the  old  McCormick  homestead. 

Joseph  and  Mader  Tromble  had  lost  heavily  in  the  Portsmouth 
Village  project  of  Judge  Miller's,  but  soon  purchased  other  land. 
Mader  bought  near  the  original  tract  and  erected  a  large  house  near 


Mader  Tromble  Homestead. 

One  of  the  first  private  homes  was  built  by  Mader  Tromble  on  the  bank  of 
the  Saginaw  River  at  the  foot  of  Thirty-fourth  street — (1845.) 

This  photograph  of  the  house  was  taken  some  45  years  ago.  My  father, 
as  well  as  his  three  brothers  and  sisters,  were  born  in  this  house,  and  my  father 
has  seen  on  many  a  cold  night,  20  or  30  Indians  and  squaws  sleeping  on  the 
kitchen  floor.- — Frances  Tromble. 


Cass  avenue,  on  the  river  bank,  long  noted  as  the  Mader  Tromble 
Homestead. 

In  1844  Joseph  bought  3,000  acres  nearer  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
on  the  west  side,  and  built  his  home  there,  engaging  in  trading  and 
fishing. 

Meanwhile,  Thomas  Rogers  and  wife  (1837)  located  in  Ports- 
mouth, and  Sidney  S.  Campbell  (1837),  Captain  Joseph  F.  Marsac 
(1838),  Captain  J.  S.  Wilson  (1840),  Captain  Benjamin  F.  Pierce 
(1840),  and  James  G.  Birney  (1842)  located  at  Lower  Saginaw.  Each 


80 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


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SETTLEMENT — THE  FIRST  SETTLERS.  81 

one  of  these  pioneers  were  to  become  leaders  in  the  life  of  Portsmouth 
and  Lower  Saginaw  when  development  actually  began.  For  the  time 
being,  Sidney  S.  Campbell  kept  the  first  hotel  in  the  building  erected 
for  the  purpose  by  Cromwell  Barney  and  Nathan  C.  Case.  Captain 
Benjamin  F.  Pierce  opened  the  first  store  in  Lower  Saginaw  in  1840, 
and  Frederick  Backus  started  another  in  1842.  By  1842  there  were 
about  fifty  persons  residing  in  Bay  County,  and  there  were  but  very 
few  added  to  that  number  before  1848.  (4) 

During  these  same  early  years  the  mouth  of  the  Kawkawlin 
River  had  its  first  settler  in  the  person  of  the  interesting  and  much 
loved  ''Uncle"  Harvey  Williams,  who  lived  there,  hunting,  trading, 
and  fishing,  accroding  to  the  season,  from  1844  until  1864.  He,  like 
Captain  Marsac  and  the  Trombles,  was  kind  and  generous  to  the  In- 
dians, who  learned  to  have  the  greatest  confidence  in  him. 

The  government  aided  in  the  opening  of  the  region  to  settlement 
by  having  the  coast  surveyed  in  1833,  at  which  time  Captain  Marsac 
acted  as  government  hunter  for  the  surveying  party.  (5)  The  govern- 
ment also  aided  in  making  the  use  of  the  river  safe  by  the  erection  of 
a  lighthouse  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  This  was  started  by  Mr. 
Stephen  Wolverton  in  1839.  The  first  steamboat  had  entered  the  river 
three  years  before,  and  as  Saginaw  was  the  main  center  of  trade  for 
this  part  of  the  state,  boats  were  coming  here  in  ever-increasing  num- 
bers. 

REFERENCES. 

History  of  Bay  County,  1883. 

History  of  Bay  County,  1905 — Maj.  A.  H.  Gansser. 

Bay  County  from  1857  to  1876 — George  W.  Hotchkiss. 

History  and  Comraercial  Advantages  of  Bay  City — Henry  S.  Dow. 

Pioneer  Directory  of  the  Saginaw  Valley  for  1866  and  J. 8 67 — Thomas  & 
Galatian. 

Directory  of  Bay  City,  Portsmouth,  Wenona  and  Bangor  for  18  68-9 — W.  H. 
DeLisle. 

Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Collections — See  Reference  List  in  Ap- 
pendix. 


(4)  Bay  City  Directory,  1868  and  1869,  page  6. 

(5)  I.  22. 


82 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Chapter  XVI. 

SETTLEMENT— PIONEER  LIFE. 
REASONS  FOR  CHOOSING  THIS  LOCATION. 
HE  first  settlers  came  to  Bay  County :  as  government  agents  to 
work  with  the  Indians;   as  fur  traders  to   estabhsh  stations 
here;  as  pioneer  farmers  or  merchants;  and  as  land  specula- 
tors to  get  possession  of  cheap  but  valuable  land.    Of  course 
some  had  more  than  one  of  these  objects  in  mind  at  the  same 
time. 

They  came  to  this  particular  place  rather  than  to  some  other — the 
government  agent  because  many  Indians  lived  in  this  vicinity;  the 
trader  because  the  furbearing  animals  were  plentiful  here,  the  Sag- 


CAPTAIN  WILSON. 

Captain  Wilson  was  born  in  New  York. 
In  his  younger  days  he  liked  sailing  and 
fishing.  In  183  7  he  left  his  family  for  the 
season  to  engage  in  the  fishing  business  in 
Thunder  Bay,  Lake  Huron.  When  he  was 
there  he  went  to  Saginaw  for  some  sup- 
plies. He  liked  the  land  so  well  he  and  his 
family  moved  to  Bay  City.  They  arrived  af- 
ter a  cold  and  tempestuous  voyage,  none  too 
soon,  as  the  river  froze  OA^er  the  next  night 
after  their  arrival  and  remained  frozen 
till  winter.  He  moved  into  a  log  house 
near  what  is  now  Thirty-second  and  Water 
streets.  In  the  winter  he  spent  the  time 
in  hunting  and  trapping,  which  were  im- 
portant occupations  in  those  days.  In  the 
winter  of  1842  and  1843  he  superintended 
the  building  of  the  ship  "Mary,"  and  in  the 
spring  took  command  of  it,  making  trips 
between  Bay  City  and  Detroit.  In  the  fall 
of  1843  he  went  to  Detroit  for  food  and 
winter  supplies  for  the  Saginaw  Valley.  When  he  was  coming  back  a  storm 
arose  and  his  ship  was  blown  across  Lake  Huron  and  wrecked  on  the  shore  of 
Canada.  For  weeks  the  people  looked  for  Capta:in  Wilson  and  his  crew,  and 
finally  all  were  given  up  as  lost,  but  it  was  not  so.  The  ship  struck  a  rock 
and  went  to  pieces,  and  the  crew  was  washed  ashore.  Captain  Wilson  and  his 
crew  suffered  terribly.  They  built  a  log  house  and  a  fire  to  keep  from  freezing 
to  death.  They  started  to  walk  to  Goderich,  which  was  eighty  miles  away.  In 
order  to  save  themselves  they  each  put  on  four  or  five  pairs  of  stockings.  When 
they  reached  Goderich  they  started  for  Detroit,  where  they  had  been  a  few 
weeks  before.  W^hen  they  got  there  they  started  for  the  Saginaw  Valley.  You 
may  be  sure  that  the  people  were  glad  to  see  Captain  Wilson  and  his  crew  come 
back.  Captain  Wilson  died  at  his  old  homestead,  leaving  his  wife  and  14 
children. — Kolb  School. 


inaw  Valley  Indians  were  good  hunters,  and  trips  could  be  made  by 
canoes  in  all  directions ;  the  farmer  and  land  buyer  because  they  be- 
lieved the  land  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  would  soon  become  the 
location  of  a  settlement,  or  because  they  realized  that  there  would  soon 
be  a  great  demand  for  the  pine  timber  standing  on  the  land. 


SETTLEMENT — PIONEER  LIFE.  83 

WHERE  THE  SETTLERS  CAME  FROM. 

The  government  agents,  such  as  Leon  Tromble  and  Captain 
Marsac,  were  usually  Frenchmen  who  had  come  from  Detroit  or 
Canada,  and  had  previously  engaged  in  trading  with  the  Indians,  and 
so  could  speak  the  Chippewa  language  fluently.  The  fur  traders,  in- 
cluding a  long  list  of  Trombles,  were  likewise  from  Detroit  and  vicinity 
or  from  Canada.  The  pioneer  farmer,  the  merchant,  and  the  land 
iDuyer  were  usually  from  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States — a  large 
proportion  from  New  York.  Albert  Miller  was  from  Vermont ;  Crom- 
v^ell  Barney  from  Massachusetts,  and  the  following  were  some  of 
those  who  came  from  New  York :  James  McCormick,  Mrs.  Thomas 
Hogers,  Capt.  John  S.  Wilson,  Sidney  S.  Campbell,  Israel  Catlin,  and 
Captain  B.  F.  Pierce. 

TRAVEL. 

The  New  England  and  New  York  settlers  in  almost  every  case 
liad  come  to  Michigan  by  the  Erie  Canal  route.  With  their  belongings 
on  the  long,  flat  canal  boat  they  made  their  way  slowly  across  New 
York  to  Buff'alo,  frequently  walking  along  shore  to  relieve  the  tiresome 
journey.  At  Buffalo  their  goods  were  transferred  to  a  boat  bound  for 
Detroit.  Often  there  was  difficulty  in  getting  passage  on  a  Detroit 
T3oat  on  account  of  the  great  numbers  of  people  who  were  going  west 
at  that  time.  Then  followed  the  trip  over  Lake  Erie  on  the  steamboat 
— the  boat  crowded  and  the  weather  often  very  stormy. 

If  the  travelers  had  planned  definitely  on  Lower  Saginaw  as  their 
destination — Lower  Saginaw  being  used  at  that  time  to  refer  to  both 
Portsmouth  and  Lower  Saginaw,  and  in  fact  to  all  the  region  near  the 
mouth  of  the  river — they  probably  came  by  boat  the  rest  of  the  way. 
But  often  they  had  no  definite  plans.  They  would  get  temporary  quar- 
ters at  Detroit,  and  the  husband,  perhaps  with  an  older  son,  would 
make  the  trip  into  the  interior  of  the  state,  with  a  horse  or  on  foot,  to 
decide  on  a  location  for  their  future  home.  When  they  had  decided  on 
Lower  Saginaw,  the  family  was  moved  either  by  boat  or  over  land. 
Many  of  our  early  settlers  from  the  eastern  states  had  lived  in  some 
•other  part  of  southern  Michigan  or  in  Ohio  or  Indiana  before  coming 
here,  and  this  is  also  true  of  the  settlers  who  came  in  the  early  years 
of  the  real  development  of  Bay  County,  beginning  with  1848. 

Mrs.  Geo.  P.  Cobb  (Laura  Munger)  was  one  of  these.  "Speaking 
of  early  times,"  Mrs.  Cobb  said,  ''my  father  moved  to  Lower  Sag- 
inaw, now  Bay  City,  in  1854.  He  came  from  Elkhart,  Indiana,  by 
way  of  Toledo,  where  he  took  a  steamer  for  Detroit  and  in  the  same 
way  came  to  Bay  City.  It  was  a  rough  trip  as  I  can  remember,  be- 
cause in  the  storm  I  was  rolled  out  of  my  berth."  (1) 


(1)      Bay  City  Times,  September  8,  1915. 


84 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frederick  Arnold,  who  in  1915  were  awarded  the 
Semi-centennial  Silver  Loving  Cup  on  account  of  having  lived  together 
in  Bay  City  longer  than  any  other  couple,  also  came  by  boat  from  De- 
troit. This  was  likewise  true  of  Mrs.  F.  Coman  who,  a  very  young 
child  by  the  name  of  Helen  Barclay,  spent  the  trip  entertaining  a 
severe  case  of  the  measles. 

Mrs.  Cornelia  Moots  (Cornelia  Chilson),  who  came  here  about 
1847  when  there  were  still  only  a  very  few  houses  in  Lower  Saginaw, 
was  one  of  those  who  reached  here  from  an  inland  town.  She  describes 
the  difficulties  of  the  journey  as  follows:     "Following  the   suit  of  a 


JOSEPH  TROMBLE. 

Mr.  Tromble  was  one  of  the  very  first 
settlers  who  located  permanently  in  Lower 
Saginaw,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death,  April  21,  1SS2.  He  was  born  in  1809 
in  what  was  then  the  little  hamlet  of  De- 
troit, and  as  school  advantages  were 
meager,  his  education  was  self-acquired. 

When  still  very  young  Mr.  Tromble 
went  out  among  the  Indians  as  a  trader, 
soon  acquiring  a  knoAvledge  of  the  Indian 
language  and  also  gaining  the  confidence 
of  the  white  men.  Mr.  Tromble  first  came 
to  Saginaw  Valley  in  182  8.  He  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  American  Fur  Co.,  buying 
and  trading  in  furs  through  northern 
Michigan,  making  his  journeys  on  foot 
through  the  wilderness  with  the  furs  pack- 
ed on  his  back.  He  bought  some  land  in 
what  is  now  Bay  City,  and  in  July,  183  5, 
settled  upon  the  place. 

In  1847  Mr.  Tromble  purchased  a 
tract  comprising  2,000  acres  of  land  in  Bangor  Township,  a  portion  of  which  is 
now  the  First  and  Second  Wards  of  West  Bay  City.  He  liad  the  first  store  in 
what  is  now  West  Bay  City.  He  platted  the  village  of  Bangor,  which  he  named 
after  the  township.  It  later  received  the  name  of  Banks  from  the  post  office 
established  there.  Subsequently  he  laid  out  Joseph  Tromble's  second  addition 
to  Bangor  or  West  Bay  City — Whittier  School. 


trader,  we  built  a  large  ark  or  raft  and  poled  our  way  down  to  the  Sag- 
inaw river  (from  Flushing)  on  the  crest  of  a  spring  flood  water  and 
floated  to  Bay  City,  then  a  nameless  refuge  consisting  of  five  buildings 
located  where  Wenonah  Park  now  is.  This  was  our  only  means  of 
getting  here  because  there  was  no  road  through  from  Flushing.  I  re- 
call the  trip  here  vividly,  as  in  a  very  narrow  place  in  the  Flint  river 
a  large  burning  tree  fell  behind  our  raft  and  would  probably  have 
ended  us  and  our  trip  had  it  fallen  a  moment  sooner." 

Some  of  the  pioneers,  such  as  James  Fraser,  spent  much  of  their 
time  on  horseback.  Others,  such  as  Michael  Daily  and  Joseph  Trom- 
ble, were  noted  for  long  distance  walking.  Still  others,  of  whom 
Father  Schutjes,  who  came  here  in  1852,  was  one,  preferred  paddling 
the  canoe.    Joseph  Tromble  was  noted  for  his  endurance  as  a  runner, 


SETTLEMENT — PIONEER  LIFE.  85 

and  the  following  incident  shows  that  he  well  deserved  such  fame: 
"Joseph  Tromble  and  James  Fraser  (2)  took  a  fancy  for  the  same 
piece  of  land  at  the  same  time,  neither  knowing  that  the  other  wanted 
the  land.  At  noon  Joseph  Tromble  learned  that  Mr.  Fraser  was  to 
start  for  Flint  from  Saginaw  to  purchase  the  said  land,  which  was  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river.  On  the  next  morning,  early,  Tromble, 
being  then  at  Portsmouth,  collected  his  gold  and  started  in  his  canoe, 
and  rapidly  sped  his  way  to  Flint,  expecting  to  overtake  Fraser  on  the 
road,  who  was  to  start  on  horseback,  but  found  nothing  of  him.  Ar- 
riving at  Flint  on  a  good  smart  run,  he  entered  his  land,  took  dinner 
and  started  on  his  return  to  the  Saginaws.  On  his  way  back  he  met 
Mr.  Fraser,  who  was  greatly  astonished  to  meet  him  going  toward 
Saginaw,  and  suggested  that  he  (Tromble)  had  bought  certain  land, 
when  Tromble  showed  his  certificate  of  purchase.  Fraser,  seeing 
there  was  no  use  in  going  further,  returned.  Tromble  kept  company 
a  while,  but  finding  that  the  rider  was  too  slow  even  with  his  horse, 
left  him  and  arrived  at  Saginaw  City  at  a  store  owned  by  one  named 
McDonald,  where  he  had  left  his  canoe,  Tromble  told  his  story  about 
his  getting  the  start  of  Fraser,  but  McDonald  disbelieved  him  even 
after  seeing  his  certificate,  and  bet  a  gallon  of  wine  that  Tromble  had 
not  been  to  Flint  that  day.  Now,  the  mail-carrier  was  on  his  way  from 
Flint  to  Saginaw  on  horseback,  and  Tromble  met  him  before  arriving 
at  Flint,  and  then  overtook  and  passed  him  on  his  way  back.  So  they 
waited  for  a  few  minutes  for  the  mail-carrier,  who  verified  Tromble's 
statement.  Tromble  treated  out  his  gallon  and  took  his  canoe  for 
home,  arriving  there  before  10  o'clock  at  night  of  the  same  day." 

The  dense  forest  and  the  frequent  swamp,  especially  between  here 
and  Saginaw,  made  it  difficult  to  construct  a  wagon  road,  so  such  im- 
provements were  very  slow  in  being  made.  Meanwhile  travel  and 
transportation  had  to  be  by  water,  or  else  by  Indian  trail  with  the 
^oods  carried  on  the  back. 

DANGERS  AND  HARDSHIPS. 

The  dangers,  hardships,  and  disagreeable  things  in  the  pioneer 
life  made  very  interesting  reading,  but  few  of  us  would  care  to  go 
through  the  trying  experiences  ourselves. 

This  was  a  wild  region  and  there  were  many  dangers.  The  wild 
animals,  especially  the  wolves,  were  a  constant  menace.  The  rattle- 
snakes were  numerous  and  deadly.  DeTocqueville  tells  of  his  hunting 
trip  between  here  and  Saginaw,  on  the  prairies,  as  follows :  "As  we 
were  returning  across  the  prairie  we  remarked  that  our  Canadian 
guide  followed  a  narrow  path,  and  looked   very  carefully  where  he 


(2)  Theodore  Tromble,  son  of  Joseph  Tromble,  and  F.  J.  Tromble,  son  of  Mader 
Tromble,  both  insist  that  it  was  James  Fraser  instead  of  Fitzhugh,  as  the  usual  ac- 
count has  it.) 


86         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

placed  his  feet.  'Why  are  you  so  cautious?'  I  said ;  'are  you  afraid  of 
the  damp?'  'No,'  he  repHed,  'but  when  I  walk  in  the  prairie  I  have- 
acquired  the  habit  of  always  looking  at  my  feet  lest  I  should  tread  on 
a  rattlesnake.'  I  exclaimed  with  a  start,  'Are  there  any  rattlesnakes 
here?'  'Oh,  yes,  indeed!'  answered  my  American  Norman  with  per- 
fect indifference,  'the  place  is  full  of  them.'  I  found  fault  with  himi 
for  not  telling  us  sooner ;  he  declared  that  as  we  were  well  shod,  and 
the  rattlesnake  never  bites  above  the  heel,  he  did  not  think  we  ran  any- 
great  danger.  I  asked  him  if  the  bite  of  the  rattlesnake  were  mortal ; 
he  replied,  'Always  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours,  unless  recourse  be- 
had  to  the  Indians.  They  know  of  a  remedy  which,  given  in  time, 
saves  the  patient,'  However  that  might  be,  during  the  rest  of  the  way 
we  imitated  our  guide,  and  looked,  as  he  did,  at  our  feet."  (3) 

The  pioneers,  when  cutting  prairie  hay,  or  when  passing  through 
the  prairie,  would  wind  their  legs  to  the  knees  with  the  long  prairie 
grass  twisted  into  ropes,  to  protect  themselves  from  the  rattlesnakes. 

Then  there  was  the  dreadful  mosquito,  probably  many  times  more 
fatal  than  the  rattler,  though  this  was  not  realized  at  the  time.  Let  u& 
again  get  a  picture  of  conditions  from  DeTocqueville :  "We  should 
probably  have  repaired  our  strength  by  a  sound  sleep  if  we  coud  have 
got  rid  of  the  myriads  of  mosquitoes  that  filled  the  house ;  but  this  was 
impossible.  These  insects  are  the  curse  of  the  American  wilderness. 
They  render  a  long  stay  unendurable.  I  never  felt  torments  such  as 
those  which  I  suffered  from  them  during  the  whole  of  this  expedition, 
and  especially  at  Saginaw.  In  the  day  they  prevented  us  from  draw- 
ing, or  writing,  or  sitting  still  for  an  instant ;  in  the  night  thousands 
of  them  buzzed  around  us,  settling  on  every  spot  on  our  bodies  that 
was  uncovered.  Awakened  by  the  irritation  of  the  bite,  we  hid  our 
heads  under  the  sheets ;  their  sting  went  through."  (4)  "As  we  walked 
we  were  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  these  insects,  and  had  to  fight  our  way. 
Woe  betide  the  loiterer;  he  is  abandoned  to  a  merciless  enemy.  I  re- 
member being  forced  to  load  my  gun  running,  it  was  so  painful  to 
stand  still  for  an  instant."  (5) 

There  are  innumerable  pioneer  stories  of  the  mosquito  plague, 
and  almost  always  they  include  an  account  of  the  "fever  and  ague,"  a 
malarial  disease  that  came  to  most  pioneers.  It  was  thought  to  be 
caused  by  fumes  or  gases  from  the  swamps  or  from  freshly  plowed 
land,  but  we  know  now  that  it  is  caused  by  a  germ  carried  by  the  mos- 
quito. The  following  is  from  the  experiences  of  a  Scotch  family  in  the 
Saginaw  Valley  about  1835 :  "Edward  had  been  taken  with  the  fever 
and  ague  before  the  family  arrived.  The  blackbirds  had  commenced 
their  depredations  on  the  corn ;   the  children  were  detailed   to   watch 


(3)  Memoirs  and  Remains  of  DeTocaueville,  Vol.  I.,  page  197. 

(4)  Memoirs  I.,  185. 

(5)  Memoirs  I.,  197. 


SETTLEMENT — PIONEER  LIFE. 


87 


the  field,  where  the  mosquitoes  preyed  upon  them  so  that  their  beau- 
tiful ruddy  complexions  were  soon  blotched  and  their  faces  swollen 
from  the  bites  of  the  poisonous  insects ;  and  before  the  mosquitoes  and 
blackbirds  had  ceased  their  ravages,  the  family,  coming  from  the  pure 
air  of  Scotland,  and  not  being  prepared  for  a  residence  in  the  mias- 
matic regions  of  the  Saginaw  marshes,  were  attacked  one  after  an- 
other by  the  enemy  of  the  pioneer,  the  fever  and  ague.  It  seemed  that 
the  more  robust  the  person  was  when  attacked,  the  harder  would  be 
the  paroxyms  in  the  cold  state.  My  mother  took  one  of  the  young 
ladies  to  her  hom.e  to  care  for  her  during  her  illness.  It  was  so  severe 
that,  when  the  'shakes'  came  on,  the  whole  house  would  rattle,  when 
the  patient  would  say  in  a  weak  voice,  'Oh,  I  am  just  done  out;  I 
I  canna  shak  ony  mair ;'  then  another  paroxysm  would  come  on  that 
would  cause  her  to  make  the  whole  house  shake.  It  is  strange  that  a 
person  can  suffer  so  m.uch  during  the  paroxysms  of  ague  and  fever  and 
yet  feel  comparatively  well  in  an  hour  or  two  afterwards.  Every  mem- 
ber of  the  family  had  a  turn ;  but  when  the  cold  weather  came  they  all 
recovered."  (6)  It  seems  that  never  once  did  the  people  think  to  con- 
nect their  tormentor,  the  mosquito,  which  was  bred  in  these  wet  spots, 
with  the  disease  that  was  causing  them  so  much  trouble. 

To  make  the  situation  still  more  trying  and  dangerous,  there  was 
no  doctor  for  nearly  20  years  after  the  first  settler  erected  his  log  cabin 
within  the  limits  of  Bay  County.    From  1837  until   about  1850,  Mrs. 

Thomas  Rogers,  though   not  a   prac- 
ticing physician,  had  to  act  as  doctor 
and  nurse  for  all  the  families  in  this 
vicinity.    She  was  the  daughter  of  an 
eminent  physician,  and  before  coming 
west  had  studied  medicine  under  her 
father  and  had   assisted  him   in   his 
work.     "At  all   hours  of  the   day  or 
night,  when  called  upon,  you  would 
find  her  at  the  bedside  of  the  sick  and 
dying.    Through  storm  or  snow,  rain 
or  shine,  it  made  no  difference  to  her. 
Sometimes   on   horseback,  sometimes 
on  foot  through  the  woods,  she   felt 
it  to  be  her  duty,  and  like  an  angel  of 
MRS.  THOMAS  ROGERS.         mercy,  she  did  it,  and  would  have  con- 
tinued to  do  so,  but  as  settlers  began  to  come  in,   doctors  came.    She 
still  visited  the  sick  of  a  few  old  settlers,  for  they  would  have  none 
other  but  her.    There  was  scarcely  a  birth  for  twenty  years  but  what 


(G)      VII.  245. 


88         BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

she  was  present.  In  that  dreadful  year  of  the  cholera  (1852),  which 
swept  off  so  many  of  the  inhabitants,  including  her  husband,  she  was 
at  the  bedside  of  the  sick  and  dying,  administering  assistance  and  com- 
fort without  money  and  without  price."  (7^ 

The  Indians,  too,  made  use  of  her  skill  and  ability  as  a  doctor. 
They  would  come  to  her  for  relief  from  an  aching  tooth,  and  after  the 
tooth  had  been  pulled,  the  Indian  who  had  received  the  benefit,  as  a 
"thank  you"  would  be  outside  and  jump  high  into  the  air,  at  the  same 
time  uttering  a  regular  war  whoop. 

The  pioneers  also  had  to  face  danger  from  the  Indians,  for  while 
they  were  usually  very  friendly  and  harmless,  yet  they  were,  as  we 
have  learned,  dangerous  when  under  the  influence  of  strong  drink.  An 
incident  in  the  life  of  Mrs.  Rogers  shows  this  fact  clearly :  One  day 
an  Indian  who  had  been  drinking  came  to  her  house  while  her  husband 
was  away  to  work,  some  miles  from  home.  She  fastened  the  door.  He 
demanded  admittance  and  told  her  if  she  did  not  open  the  door  he 
would  break  it  down..  He  went  to  the  wood  pile,  got  the  axe  and  began 
breaking  in  the  door.  She  went  out  the  rear  door  and  chased  the  In- 
dian away  with  an  iron  rake.  (8) 

THE  PIONEER  HOME. 

The  first  home  of  the  real  pioneer  was  invariably  the  log  hut,  put 
up  in  a  hurry  in  order  to  get  a  shelter  over  the  family  and  their  few 
possessions.  The  ends  of  the  logs  were  cut  to  fit  together,  and  the 
chinks  between  the  logs  were  filled  in  with  mud,  clay,  or  wedges  of 
wood.  Later  a  more  carefully  built  log  house  was  erected  to  be  fol- 
lowed still  later  by  the  frame  house.  As  stoves  were  expensive,  these 
pioneer  homes  usually  had  the  large  open  fireplace  at  one  end  of  the 
living  room. 

Much  food — fruit,  grain  and  vegetables — was  produced  in  the 
small  clearing,  and  meat  was  obtained  by  hunting.  As  other  provisions 
for  the  valley  had  to  be  brought  from  Detroit,  they  were  expensive. 
Sugar  was  high  in  price  and  honey  was  in  demand  as  a  substitute. 
There  was  often  a  scarcity  of  food,  especially  while  navigation  was 
closed  by  winter.  At  any  time  of  the  year,  if  some  particular  item  of 
food  had  given  out,  it  might  be  necessary  to  paddle  to  Saginaw  to  get 
some  more.  Flour  of  any  kind  was  scarce,  and  it  was  hard  for  the  set- 
tlers to  get  their  wheat  and  corn  ground  into  flour  or  meal.  The  experi- 
ences of  the  McCormick  family  in  this  matter  were  quite  the  same  as 
those  of  many  other  pioneers :  "Our  first  year's  crop  was  excellent.  The 
only  drawback  we  had  was  in  converting  our  grain  into  flour.  A  grist 
mill  had  been  built  at  the  Thread,  one  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Flint. 
(This  was  while  the  McCormicks  lived  up  the  river.)     We  had  to  take 

(7)  1883  History  of  Bay  County,  page  28.) 

(8)  For  a  different  account  of  this  incident,    see    Gansser,  Bay    County  History, 
page  90. 


SETTLEMENT — PIONEER  LIFE. 


89 


I 


THE  McCORMICKS. 


WM.  R.  Mccormick. 


The  McCormicks  lived  in  Albany,  New 
York.     They  decided  to  go  west. 

They  went  on  a  flat  boat  down  the 
Erie  Canal  to  Buffalo.  Here  they  took  a 
steamer  for  Detroit.  Mr.  McCormick  had 
to  pay  $50.00  for  passage  to  Detroit  for  his 
wife  and  children  and  household  furnish- 
ings. When  they  arrived  at  Detroit  they 
rented  a  few  rooms  in  a  house  and  they 
had  to  eat  off  of  a  chest,  for  they  did  not 
bring  any  furniture. 

Mr.  McCormick  spent  his  time  look- 
ing for  a  farm  outside  of  Detroit.  They 
were  obliged  to  leave  their  horse  in  care  of 
an  Indian.  They  started  out  on  foot.  When 
they  reached  the  Flint  river  they  stopped 
a  few  days  for  rest  in  a  neighljor's  home. 
The  man  told  him  to  buy  a  farm  on  the 
Thread  River  near  by.  So  Mr.  McCormick 
bought  a  farm  for  $125.  He  built  a  log 
cabin  on  it  for  his  family,  and  he  sent  his 
son  and  another  boy  by  the  name  of  Albert 
Miller  back  to  Detroit  to  bring  the  family. 
They  Avent  to  Grand  Blanc  and  got  the  horse  and  wagon,  then  went  on  to  Detroit 
for  the  family.  Mrs.  McCormick  and  children  now  started  out  for  their  new 
home.  There  was  a  road  as  far  as  Royal  Oak  and  then  an  Indian  trail.  They 
walked  during  the  day  and  slept  at  night  under  the  stars. 

Mr.  McCormick  met  the  family  half  way  between  Detroit  and  Thread  River, 
and  his  older  sons  went  ahead  to  clear  the  way  for  the  horse  and  wagon.  That 
night  they  reached  the  Thread  River  six  miles  from  the  place  where  Mr.  Mc- 
McCormick  built  his  cabin.  The  next  day  they  went  on  the  new  farm  and  here 
they  settled  for  some  time. 

About  the  first  fall  Mr.  McCormick  went  to  Saginaw  with  another  man  in  a 
canoe  for  some  pork  for  his  family  during  the  winter.  While  he  was  there  he 
saw  some  Indian  fields  which  the  Indian  had  left  because  the  grubworms  ate 
their  corn,  and  they  thought  the  Great  Spirit  was  angry  with  them,  so  they  left 
the  fields. 

Mr.  McCormick,  after  seeing  these  fields,  thought  it  a  good  place  for  a  farm. 
After  looking  over  the  land  he  went  back  to  his  home  on  the  Thread  River.  He 
told  his  wife  about  these  Indian  fields  and  they  decided  to  buy  the  land.  Some 
time  later  Mr.  McCormick  and  his  family  moved  down  to  the  Indian  fields.  They 
had  sold  their  other  farm  for  $600.  Mr.  McCormick  intended  to  buy  this  farm, 
but  the  Indians  said  he  could  rent  the  land  for  2  5  bushels  of  corn  and  25  bushels 
of  potatoes  per  year.     So  the  deal  was  made. 

That  night  they  had  only  a  fire  in  the  open.  This  made  Mrs.  McCormick 
feel  very  sad,  and  she  said  she  never  thought  she  would  have  no  shelter  over 
the  heads  of  her  children.  But  the  next  day  Mr.  McCormick  and  his  sons  built 
a  small  hut  until  they  made  a  better  log  cabin. 

The  McCormicks  lived  so  comfortably  that  travelers  coming  from  Flint  to 
Bay  City  would  stop  all  night  and  rest  at  McMormicks  Sometimes  they  had  to 
make  a  bed  on  the  floor,  which  held  from  10.  to  15  persons;  they  called  this  a 
field  bed. 

After  a  few  years  Mr.  McCormick  gave  up  his  Indian  fields  and  went  in  to 
the  lumber  industry.  He  bought  an  interest  in  a  lumber  mill.  James  J.  Mc- 
Cormick was  the  first  man  to  send  lumber  out  of  Saginaw  River.  He  sold  it  to 
a  man  in  Detroit,  and  got  $8.00  per  thousand  for  it.  He  did  not  make  much 
money  out  of  it,  but  he  kept  on  with  the  business. 

A  few  years  later  in  the  year  1846  Mr.  McCormick  died.  After  his  death 
his  wife  continued  staying  at  the  old  homestead.  A  few  years  later  she  gave  up 
the  old  homestead  and  went  and  lived  with  her  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCor- 
mick were  buried  in  Pineridge  Cemetery  and  a  monument  was  erected  over  their 
graves  saying  they  were  among  the  early  pioneers.— Garfield  School. 


90 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


our  grain  in  a  canoe  up  the  river  some  thirty-five  miles,  and  then  get 
it  down  to  the  mill  and  back  to  the  river  and  then  come  down  the  river 
home.  It  usually  took  us  four  days  to  go  to  mill  and  back,  camping 
out  every  night,  and  the  hardest  kind  of  work  at  that.  This  work  al- 
ways fell  on  my  brother  James  and  myself,  for  though  a  boy,  I  could 
steer  the  canoe  and  my  brother  would  tow  it  over  the  rapids  with  a 
rope.  Our  feet  used  to  get  very  sore  walking  in  the  water  so  much. 
When  winter  came  on  it  was  impossible  to  go  to  mill,  as  there  was  no 
road,  so  in  the  winter  evenings  we  all  took  turns  pounding  the  corn  in 
a  mortar — made  in  the  end  of  a  log,  sawed  about  three  feet  long  with  a 
hole  in  one  end  to  pound  corn  in,  similar  to  what  the  Indians  used  in 
those  days.  In  1835  my  father  went  back  to  Albany,  New  York,  and 
when  he  returned  he  brought  a  mill,  something  like  an  old-fashioned 
coffee  mill,  but  five  times  as  large ;  the  hopper  would  hold  about  a  peck,, 
and  had  a  handle  on  each  side.  This  was  a  great  thing  in  those  days, 
for  with  it  we  could  grind  a  bushel  of  corn  in  an  hour.  We  now  threw 
away  the  old  mortar  and  stopped  going  to  mill,  as  we  had  a  mill  of  our 
own.  This  year  we  had  two  neighbors,  and  they  used  to  come  in  the 
evenings  to  grind  their  corn  at  our  mill,  which  was  worth  its  weight 
in  gold  to  that  little  settlement."  (9) 

There  was  genuine  neighborliness  and  hospitality  among  these- 
noble  pioneers,  and  families  helped  each  other  in  every  way  possible, 
as  was  the  case  in  the  use  of  the  McCormick  hand  mill.    They  would 


SIDNEY  S.  CAMPBELL. 

Mr.  Campbell  was  born  at  Paris,  Omeida 
County,  New  York  in  1804.  In  1830  he- 
came  to  Michigan  and  settled  at  Pontiac^ 
whence  he  removed  to  Cass  River  Ridge  in 
the  Spring  of  183  6.  Here  he  laid  out  a 
town  and  called  it  Bridgeport.  Bridgeport 
was  blighted  by  the  hard  times  of  1837  and. 
so  he  moved  to  Lower  Saginaw,  the  first 
new  resident  in  James  Eraser's  new  village. 
Mr.  Campbell  was  the  first  supervisor  in 
Hampton  Township  and  was  judge  of 
probate  of  Bay  County  for  sixteen  years. 
He  kept  the  first  tavern  in  the  town  which 
was  later  enlarged  into  the  Globe  Hotel 
that  used  to  stand  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  Fifth  and  Water  streets.  Many  interest- 
ing stories  are  told  of  the  gatlierings  in 
that  first  hotel — social  gatherings  with  fun 
and  jokes,  and  also  political  gatherings,  for 
it  was  here  that  the  very  first  election  wa& 
held. 


share  what  provisions  they  had  in  times  of  scarcity.  An  interesting 
instance  of  this  occurred  in  Lower  Saginaw  when  Sidney  S.  Campbell, 
the  hotel  keeper,  raised  a  crop  of  buckwheat.    "A  year  or  two  after 


(9)     Account  by  William  R.  McCormick  in  Baj'  County  History,  1883,  page  24. 


SETTLEMENT — PIONEER  LIFE.  at 

settling  here,  Mr.  Campbell  borrowed  the  government  oxen  (probably 
from  the  government  agent,  Leon  Tromble)  and  plowed  a  piece  of  land 
which  he  sowed  with  buckwheat.  When  the  time  came  to  gather  it  he 
would  take  his  canoe,  his  wife  accompanying  him,  and  go  down  to  the 
field.  On  the  way  he  would  shoot  ducks  for  their  dinner.  Spreading 
a  sail  cloth  upon  the  ground,  Mrs.  Campbell  would  bring  the  bundles 
of  buckwheat  together,  and  he  threshed  it  out  on  the  sail  cloth.  After 
winnowing  it  with  a  shovel  it  was  put  in  bags  and  taken  in  his  canoe  to 
the  house,  where  it  was  emptied  into  a  bedroom  up  stairs.  The  fol- 
lowing winter  there  was  a  scarcity  of  flour,  and  in  February  the  supply 
in  Lower  Saginaw  became  exhausted.  Mr.  Campbell's  harvest  of 
buckwheat  was  opportune.  Fred  Derr,  who  lived  in  the  ''Wild  Cat" 
bank  building  had  a  big  coffee  mill,  and  it  didn't  take  the  settlers  long 
to  study  out  a  way  to  get  flour.  Each  one  as  he  needed  would  visit  the 
buckwheat  pile,  and  taking  what  he  needed,  grind  it  in  Mr,  Derr's 
coffee  mill.  In  this  way,  the  only  flour  used  in  the  settlement  for  three 
weeks  was  made."  (10) 

Naturally,  there  was  a  lack  of  conveniences  and  ornaments,, 
trinkets,  etc.,  at  first,  but  these  were  supplied  just  as  soon  as  circum- 
stances would  allow,  for  most  of  these  pioneers  had  been  used  to  living 
in  well  settled  communities,  and  were  not  satisfied  to  remain  long 
without  improving  their  conditions  of  living.  Settlers  of  a  little  later 
date  than  we  have  been  considering,  often  brought  fine  chinaware, 
beautiful  furniture,  and  other  things  with  which  to  beautify  the  home, 
along  with  them  when  they  moved  here. 

The  pioneer  lived  an  all-round  life.  He  was  frequently  a  real 
estate  dealer,  a  farmer,  hotel  keeper,  office  holder,  and  perhaps  fur 
trader,  combined.  Along  with  these  occupations  he  had  his  recrea- 
tions and  amusements.  The  chief  recreations  were  naturally  the  out- 
of-door  kinds.  Swimming,  fishing  and  hunting  were  foremost  in  the 
list.  Contests  and  games  of  skill  and  strength  were  common.  In  these, 
men  like  Joseph  Tromble  gained  great  renown  among  the  Indians  as 
among  the  settlers.  (11) 

Of  course  there  were  gatherings  of  a  social  nature — parties,  and 
"bees"  of  various  kinds  when  work  and  pleasure  were  combined.  There 
were  also  religious  meetings,  in  spite  of  the  absence  of  ministers,  con- 
ducted by  James  G.  Birney  and  others.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that 
the  first  public  religious  service  in  the  new  settlements  was  under  the 
leadership  of  this  great  man  who  in  1844,  while  a  resident  here,  was  a 


(10)  Bay  County  History,  1883,  page  66. 

(11)  See  the  story  of  his  wrestling  ability  in  Bay  County  History,   1883,   pages 
16  and  17. 


92 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


JAMES  G.  BIRNEY. 

James  G.  Birney  was  a  native  of  Dan- 
ville, Kentucky.  His  early  life  was  sur- 
rounded with  all  the  comforts  which 
wealth  could  command.  He  received  a 
finished  education,  and  became  a  lawyer. 
Soon  after  this  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  legislature  of  Kentucky.  He  moved 
to  Alabama,  where  he  attained  distinction 
as  a  lawyer,  and  was  elected  solicitor- 
general  of  the  state.  In  182  8  he  was  one 
of  the  presidential  electors  selected  by  the 
Whig  party  of  Alabama.  By  inheritance 
and  purchase  he  became  the  owner  of 
slaves,  and  had  a  cotton  plantation  carried 
on  under  his  direction.  He  decided  that 
slavery  was  wrong,  and  believed  that  the 
correct  way  to  do  was'  to  give  the  slaves 
immediate  freedom.  He  did  this  with  his 
own  slaves,  although  they  were  worth 
many  thousands  of  dollars.  From  this 
time  on  he  worked  for  the  freedom  of 
the  negro.  Bravely  enduring  the  insults  of  his  fellowmen,  he  followed  this  work 
with  courage  and  vigor. 

In  1839  his  father  died,  leaving  land,  money,  and  slaves.  James  G.  Birney 
asked  that  the  slaves  be  counted  part  of  his  share,  and  when  this  was  done  he 
promptly  gave  them  all  their  freedom.  In  1840  he  went  to  England  on  an  im- 
portant errand,  and  in  May  of  that  year  was  nominated  by  the  Liberty  Party  for 
the  presidency  of  the  United  States.  In  1841  he  purchased  a  share  in  the  Sag- 
inaw Bay  Company  that  had  planned  the  village  of  Lower  Saginaw  in  183  7  but 
had  failed  on  account  of  the  panic.     He  moved  here  in  1842. 

After  coming  to  Lower  Saginaw,  Mr.  Birney,  aside  from  looking  after  the 
interests  of  the  Saginaw  Bay  Company,  of  which  he  was  trustee,  engaged  in 
stock  raising  and  agricultural  pursuits.  He  brought  a  fine  herd  of  thoroughbred 
cattle  here  from  Ohio,  which  helped  improve  the  stock  of  this  region. 

In  1844  Mr.  Birney  was  again  the  candidate  of  the  Liberty  Party  for  the 
presidency  of  the  United  States,  and  in  1845,  for  governor  of  Michigan.  He  lived 
in  Lower  Saginaw  until  1855,  when  he  moved  to  New  Jersey,  dying  there  two 
years  later. 

Mr.  Birney  lived  in  the  old  block  house  of  the  Saginaw  Bay  Company  at  the 
corner  of  Fourth  and  Water  streets.  He  did  much  for  the  social  and  religious 
life  of  Lower  Saginaw  while  living  here.  He  was  a  kind  and  benevolent  neigh- 
bor, and  personally  conducted  religious  services  in  the  little  school  house  or 
elsewhere  until  others  came  to  carry  on  the  work. — Bay  County  History,  1883. 


candidate  for  president  of  the  United  States. 

During  the  long  winter  there  was  special  need  of  diversions,  for 
this  part  of  the  valley  was,  until  the  coming  of  the  railroad  many  years 
later,  almost  entirely  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  world  for  many 
weeks.  It  is  no  wonder  that  the  pioneers  cultivated  the  ability  of  en- 
tertaining themselves  in  various  ways  and  enjoyed  playing  practical 
jokes  on  each  other.  The  following  is  a  good  example  of  two  of  those 
jokes: 

THE  "MUSKRAT"  AND  THE  "FISH"  JOKE. 

One  cold  morning  two  fishermen  who  were  great  friends  met 
down  by  Third  street  bridge.  One  was  George  Lord  and  the  other  was 
J.  B.  Hart.    They  exchanged  greetings  and  were  about  to  part  when 


SETTLEMENT — PIONEER  LIFE.  93 

Hart  exxclaimed,  "By  the  way,  Lord,  I  almost  forgot  about  it,  your 
foreman  Joe  told  me  to  tell  you  to  send  up  some  packing  men,  salt,  and 
barrels  for  the  fish  are  running  like  blazes."  "Thunder !"  shouted 
Lord,  "Is  that  so  ?"  and  was  then  away  like  a  race  horse  collecting  all 
the  things  mentioned.  He  had  just  got  all  his  men  and  things  into  a 
big  fish  boat  when  Hart  came  running  up  and  exclaimed :  "I  have 
just  got  word  that  the  fish  have  stopped  running,  and  Joe  does  not 
need  any  more  than  he's  got  now."  The  men  Lord  hired  saw  the  joke 
and  laughed  and  Lord  laughed,  too.  The  men  had  to  be  paid,  and  the 
joke  cost  a  good  deal. 

It  was  forgotten  by  the  people,  but  Lord  did  not  forget  it.  His 
chance  came  one  afternoon.  Walking  past  an  inn,  he  paused  to  look  in 
and  saw  Hart  playing  a  game  of  "Penny  Ante"  with  his  friends.  The 
game  was  interrupted  by  an  old  Indian  coming  in  with  three  muskrat 
skins  to  sell  to  Hart,  who  dealt  in  skins.  "Ugh!"  said  Lo,  "Jule  Hart 
buy  some  skins?"  "Yes,"  was  the  response.  "Give  you  ten  cents  each. 
Throw  them  there  under  the  window.  Here's  your  money."  Lord 
saw  this.  Creeping  over  to  the  window  he  reached  his  hand  in  and 
pulled  the  three  muskrat  skins  out.  A  boy  was  standing  near  the  door 
of  the  saloon,  and  Lord  gave  the  skins,  stretched  on  shingles,  to  the  boy. 
The  boy  sold  them  to  Hart  and  was  again  told  to  throw  them  under  the 
window.  This  kept  up  for  a  good  while.  The  game  came  to  an  end  at 
last.  With  that  Hart  exclaimed,  "I've  lost  the  game,  but  have  bought 
a  heap  of  skins."  He  turned  toward  the  skins  to  look  at  them.  All  of 
a  sudden  he  thundered  out,  "Who  stole  my  skins?"  Then  Lord  walked 
in  and  said,  "Skins  are  as  good  picking  as  fish."  Hart  took  the  joke 
all  right.  He  had  paid  $5.00  for  the  same  three  skins  over  and  over 
again. — Washington  School. 

REFERENCES. 

See  references  for  Chapter  XV. 


94 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Bay  City  in  1854 — Our  Lumbering  "Boom"  in  Its  Infancy. 


Chapter  XVII. 

EARLY  DEVELOPMENT— LUMBERING. 

T  took  several  years  for  the  country  to  recover  from  the  panic 
of  1837.  But  after  that  the  settlement  of  the  middle  west 
went  on  even  more  rapidly  than  before.  There  was  an 
ever-increasing  demand  for  good  lumber  to  the  east,  south, 
and  west  of  us  on  account  of  the  building  operations  in  the 
new  settlements.  As  many  of  the  early  settlers  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Saginaw  River  had  foreseen,  this  became  the  center  of  the  lumbering 
industry  in  this  region.  Here  was  a  navigable  river  for  the  large 
boats  to  use  in  getting  their  cargoes  for  Detroit,  Chicago,  and  many 
other  ports.  The  width  of  the  river  gave  plenty  of  room  for  storing 
the  logs  in  booms  until  they  could  be  prepared  for  shipment  to  market 
by  the  mills.  There  was  the  river  frontage,  solid  ground  from  ten  to 
twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water,  for  the  location  of  the  many 
saw-mills  that  were  needed  to  convert  the  millions  of  feet  of  timber 
into  lumber. 

Along  with  these  advantages,  there  was  the  Saginaw  River  sys- 
tem, with  its  many  branches  reaching  to  the  south,  southeast,  south- 
west, and  west,  which,  with  the  aid  of  the  streams  flowing  into  the 
Saginaw  Bay  from  the  area  north  of  here,  made  it  possible  to  get  the 
logs  during  the  spring  floods,  from  all  directions.  And  finally,  there 
was  throughout  this  region  an  immense  quantity  of  pine  timber — ^not 
just  ordinary  timber,  but  of  the  finest  quality  to  be  found  anywhere. 


EARLY  DEVELOPMENT — LUMBERING.  95 

This  was  the  natural  center  for  collecting  the  logs  and  for  preparing 
them  for  sale  as  lumber. 

The  first  saw-mill  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Saginaw  Valley,  ac- 
cording to  Judge  Albert  Miller,  was  run  by  "man  power,"  with  Miller 
"the  "pit  man."  In  such  a  mill  only  large  timbers  or  very  rough  lumber 
€0uld  be  made.  The  log  was  placed  over  a  pit  that  had  been  dug  in 
the  ground,  or  else  was  placed  on  high  wooden  horses.  One  man 
would  stand  under  the  log,  the  other — in  this  particular  case,  Crom- 
well Barnej^ — would  stand  above  the  log,  but  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  saw.  The  whip-saw  which  was  used  for  this  work  had  handles  at 
each  end  fastened  crosswise  so  that  two  hands  could  be  used,  one  each 
side  of  the  saw.  As  the  log  was  being  cut  lengthwise,  it  would  have 
to  be  moved  frequently  so  as  to  keep  the  cutting  place  over  the  pit. 

This  was  of  course  verj^  slow  work,  and  Albert  Miller,  in  partner- 
ship with  Cromwell  Barney  and  B.  K.  Hall,  soon  set  about  the  erection 
of  the  first  steam  saw-mill  in  Bay  County.  Mr.  Miller  says :  "Crom- 
well Barney  undertook  the  erection  of  the  frame  of  the  mill,  while  I 
undertook  the  task  of  procuring  the  engine  and  machinery.  At  Cleve- 
land I  heard  of  a  second-hand  engine  at  Huron,  Ohio,  which  I  pur- 
chased and  had  shipped  to  Detroit.  The  lateness  of  the  season  made 
it  very  difficult  to  get  anything  transported  to  the  Upper  Lakes.  The 
owners  of  the  Elizabeth  Ward  told  me  if  I  would  furnish  my  own  men 
they  would  let  her  make  the  trip  for  $800.  In  the  meantime  I  had 
purchased  about  $5,000  worth  of  goods,  and  was  determined  that 
nothing  that  was  within  my  power  to  overcome  should  prevent  my 
pushing  onward  the  enterprise  of  building  the  mill.  I  purchased  the 
vessel  at  $2,500,  got  my  engine,  boilers,  machinery  and  goods  on  board, 
with  considerable  freight  for  other  parties.  I  had  several  men  under 
wages  on  the  vessel,  employed  to  go  to  Portsmouth  and  assist  in  getting 
the  mill  to  running.  After  getting  everything  on  board  the  vessel,  I 
saw  her  sail  up  the  Detroit  River,  on  the  22nd  day  of  November,  1836, 
with  a  fair  wind. 

"Immediately  after  that  I  started  for  Portsmouth  on  horseback, 
in  order  to  meet  the  vessel  on  her  arrival.  By  this  time  the  weather 
had  set  in  cold,  and  the  mud  in  the  road  was  partially  frozen,  which 
rendered  traveling  very  bad.  With  some  difficulty  I  arrived  at  Flint 
with  my  horse,  and  was  there  told  by  my  friends  that  I  might  as  well 
leave  my  horse  there  as  to  leave  it  in  the  woods  on  the  way  to  Saginaw, 
for  it  would  be  impossible  for  a  horse  to  perform  the  journey  to  Sag- 
inaw at  that  time.  By  leaving  my  horse  at  Flint  I  was  obliged  to  un- 
much  impaired  by  exposure  and  fatigue  in  getting  my  vessel  and 
dertake  the  journey  to  Portsmouth   by   water,   as   my  health  was  so 


96 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Fremont  School. 


Whittier  School. 


EARLY  DEVELOPMENT — LUMBERING.  97 

making  preparations  for  her  sailing,  that  I  dare  not  undertake  the 
journey  on  foot.  In  those  days  I  was  as  much  at  home,  and  almost  as 
much  at  east,  in  a  canoe,  as  I  am  now  in  an  arm-chair. 

"I  purchased  a  canoe  and  started  on  my  way  down  Flint  River, 
and  met  with  no  obstacle  till  I  encountered  a  jam  of  ice  in  the  river, 
which  filled  it  from  shore  to  shore.  I  landed  my  canoe,  hauled  it  out  on 
the  bank,  and  started  down  the  river.  I  had  not  proceeded  far  before 
I  encountered  a  bayou,  which,  after  endeavoring  to  pass  around,  I  had 
to  cross.  I  broke  the  ice  before  me  with  my  arms,  and  waded  in  cold 
water  to  my  arm-pits.  When  I  finally  reached  Portsmouth  I  found  the 
river  closed  with  ice,  and  no  tidings  of  the  vessel.  The  ice  being 
strong  enough  to  walk  on,  I  sent  men  daily  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  to 
see  if  they  could  gain  any  tidings  of  her.  At  that  time  there  was  no 
friendly  light,  and  we  did  not  know  but  that  the  vessel  had  missed  her 
way  and  was  frozen  in  at  some  other  point  in  the  bay.  Whenever  mail 
would  arrive  at  Saginaw,  which  was  once  a  month,  I  would  send  there 
for  letters.  At  last  I  got  news  that  the  man  I  had  put  in  charge  of  the 
vessel  had  turned  out  to  be  an  unprincipled  scamp.  Instead  of  en- 
deavoring to  push  forward  to  the  Saginaw  River,  he  had  sailed  the 
vessel  to  Port  Huron,  tied  up  there,  sent  to  Detroit  for  his  family,  and 
was  living  very  comfortably  on  board. 

"When  I  received  the  news  I  started  again  for  Detroit.  The  ice  on 
the  Saginaw  River  would  not  bear  a  horse,  so  there  was  no  way  to  go 
but  to  walk.  My  tired  limbs  performed  their  office  till  I  reached  Green 
Point,  and  then  exhausted  nature  refused  longer  to  obey  the  will.  I 
was  there  thrown  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  from  which  I  did  not  arise  for 
three  weeks.  As  soon  as  I  was  able  I  proceeded  to  Detroit,  where  I 
found  that  a  friend  had  been  to  Port  Huron,  discharged  the  faithless 
captain,  paid  off  the  crew,  and  stopped  some  of  the  heavy  expenses 
that  were  running  against  me.  While  at  Detroit  I  determined  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  building  of  the  mill.  I  found  on  my  arrival  at  Ports- 
mouth that  Mr.  Barney  had  finished  his  part  of  the  contract  by  having 
it  ready  to  receive  the  machinery,  and  during  the  winter  I  had  all  my 
stock  of  goods  and  every  pound  of  iron  that  was  used  in  building  the 
mill  hauled  in  sleighs  through  to  Portsmouth,  and  we  got  the  mill  run- 
ning on  the  first  of  April,  1837." 

Such  were  the  difficulties  involved  in  the  first  days  of  the  lum- 
bering industry  in  our  county.  This  first  mill  was  no  sooner  com- 
pleted than  the  business  panic  set  in  and  there  was  no  demand  for 
lumber,  either  m  the  valley  or  farther  away,  at  any  price  that  would 
pay  for  the  work  and  shipment,  so  the  mill  became  idle  in  a  very  short 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


EARLY  DEVELOPMENT — LUMBERING.  99 

time.  It  was  later  (1841)  purchased  by  James  and  James  J.  McCor- 
mick,  who  shipped  the  first  lumber  from  the  Saginaw  River  to  other 
ports.  This  mill  was  the  only  one  in  operation  in  Bay  County  until 
after  the  business  conditions  had  become  improved. 

In  1844,  James  Fraser  and  Cromwell  Barney,  with  the  assistance 
of  Israel  Catlin,  began  the  erection  of  the  second  mill,  the  first  one 
operated  by  water-power  and  located  at  Kawkawlin.  (1)  The  first 
mill  in  Lower  Saginaw,  and  the  second  steam  mill  in  the  county,  was 
started  the  next  year  (1845)  by  Hopkins,  Pomeroy,  and  Fraser  on 
Water  street  just  south  of  Center  avenue.  The  next  one  was  erected 
by  Catlin  and  Fraser  in  1847,  on  Water  street  between  Eighth  and 
Ninth  streets.  From  this  time  on  the  erection  of  mills  was  rapid,  and 
by  1857  there  were  fourteen  mills  in  Bay  County.  This  development 
continued  for  many  years,  and  by  1880  suitable  land  near  the  river 
bank  for  new  mills  was  hard  to  find. 

Each  new  mill  attempted  to  out-do  all  previous  attempts  at  record 
capacity  in  cutting  lumber,  so  that  every  year  saw  larger  and  better 
mills.  During  this  period  we  find  such  familiar  names  as  Bradley, 
Eddy,  Jennison,  Gates,  Fay,  Avery,  Miller,  Hargrave,  Lewis,  Smith, 
Watrous,  Shearer,  Dolsen,  McEwan  and  others  forming  the  names  of 
firms  operating  the  saw  mills.  In  1864  H.  W.  Sage  and  John  McGraw 
erected  the  mammoth  saw-mill,  later  known  as  the  Sage  mill,  south  of 
Midland  street  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  This  was  one  of  the  lar- 
gest mills  in  the  world  at  the  time,  and  had  an  immense  output  of 
lumber.  A  writer  in  1868  describes  it  as  follows :  "It  is  one  of  the 
sights  of  the  valley;  the  very  head  of  the  mill  family;  a  monster  of 
the  woods,  with  more  sets  of  teeth  than  a  wholesale  dentist,  and  with 
an  appetite  for  forests  which  no  statistic  purveyor  can  satisfy,  and 
which  puts  all  calculations  astray.  It  commenced  operations  in  May 
of  1865  and  cut  during  that  season  9,048,000  feet.  In  1866  it  cut 
20,225,000.  The  capacity  for  one  season  is  really  40,000,000  feet."  (2) 
In  the  banner  year  of  1888,  enough  lumber,  over  4,000,000,000  feet,  was 
cut  in  the  mills  along  the  Saginaw  River  to  make  a  sidewalk  of  two- 
inch  planks,  four  feet  wide,  that  would  reach  entirely  around  the  earth 
almost  four  times.  (3)  Bay  City  and  the  Saginaw  Valley  became  known 
throughout  the  United  States,  and  even  in  Europe,  on  account  of  their 
rapid  development  and  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  lumber  pro- 
duced. 

Of  course  this  immense  increase  in  lumber  manufacturing  called 


(1)  A  water  power  mill  was  built  on  the  Pine  River  as  early  as  1S35.    Pine  River 
was  for  a  long-  time  in  Bay  County,  but  is  .now  in  Arenac  County. 

(2)  Directory  of  Bay  City,  Portsmouth,  Wenona  and  Bangor,  1868-9,  page  264. 

(3)  For  lumber  statistics,  see  Appendix. 


100 


BAY     COUNTY,     PAST     AND     PRESENT, 


«4H 
O 


bo  S 


EARLY  DEVELOPMENT — LUMBERING. 


101 


an  ever-increasing  number  of  laborers  of  all  kinds,  including  the 
farmer,  merchants,  professional  men,  and  investors,  to  Bay  City  and 
the  surrounding  country,  and  stimulated  every  sort  of  business  ac- 
tivity. There  was  unbounded  confidence  in  the  brilliant  future  pros- 
pects of  the  place.  The  idea  that  the  timber  in  this  region  would  in  a 
few  years  be  used  up  was  laughed  at  as  ridiculous.  But  by  1880  the 
mills  were  bringing  logs  from  an  ever-increasing  distance  back  from 


.i^^^i^- 


The  Big  Wheels  Used  in  Hauling  Logs. 

The  team  in  the  distance  is  bringing  the  logs  to  the  roadway.  Here  they 
are  placed  with  one  end  off  the  ground  on  a  cross  piece.  The  wheels  are  driven 
over  the  logs,  a  chain  is  passed  under  them,  fastening  them  to  the  wheels.  The 
block  holding  the  wheels  is  knocked  out,  and  the  load  is  ready  to  be  dragged  to 
the  railroad. 

the  river.  They  no  longer  depended  on  the  streams,  but  built  railroad 
spurs  in  all  directions  into  the  forests.  By  1890  the  timber  from  this 
vicinity  was  almost  all  gone.  Logs  were  now  brought  in  immense 
rafts  by  the  large  lake  tugs  from  northern  Michigan  and  from  Canada. 
THE  LUMBER  WOODS. 
To  get  the  lumber  from  the  ."orests,  camps  were  set  up  in  the 
woods,  with  a  foreman  in  charge  of  a  large  group  of  strong,  hearty 
laborers — experts  in  the  various  kinds  of  work  that  was  to  be  done. 


102 


BAY  COUNTY.  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


S.  0.  Fisher's  Camp,  at  Pinconning,  about  1882. 


The  Lumber  Camp. 


EARLY  DEVELOPMENT — LUMBERING. 


103 


Among  these  were  the  blacksmith  and  the  "handy  man"  who  made  the 
drays,  canthook  handles,  etc.  There  were  rudely  constructed  log  huts 
and  sheds  for  a  variety  of  purposes,  including  a  mess  room  for  the 
men,  their  bunk  room,  a  tool  house,  horse  shed,  and  blacksmith  shop. 
Before  the  coming  of  the  railroad  and  while  the  timber  was  still  plen- 
tiful, the  camps  were  invarably  near  a  stream.  Men  would  come  to 
the  lumber  camps  from  the  mills  nearby  and  from  the  farms  in  the 


The  Lumber  Woods. 


Notice  the  Yoke  of  Oxen. 


southern  part  of  the  state.  Going  to  the  "lumber  woods"  was  an  an- 
nual occurrence  in  farm  life,  as  it  gave  the  farmer  the  chance  to  make 
use  of  slack  time. 

The  timber  was  taken  from  the  forests  during  the  winter  for  two 
reasons.  By  sprinkling,  icy  roads  could  be  made  by  means  of  which 
the  logs  could  be  easily  drawn  to  the  bank  of  the  stream,  and  then  in 
the  spring  during  flood  water,  the  logs  could  be  floated  down  stream 
to  the  mills  that  were  located  at  Bay  City,  where  the  lumber  could 
later  be  shipped  to  market. 

It  was  very  difi'icult  work  to  get  the  great  masses  of  logs  to  float 
down  stream  even  during  high  water,  and  there  were   many  exciting 


104 


BAY     COUNTY,     PAST     AND     PRESENT. 


m 


^  .  CD 

X2  -e 


>—<    o 

C^      CO 


EARLY  DEVELOPMENT — LUMBERING. 


105 


times  when  one  log  would  get  caught  in  such  a  way  as  to  cause  the 
rest  to  pile  up  in  an  awful  mass.  This  was  called  a  "jam,"  and  the 
most  expert  "lumber-jacks"  were  needed  to  find  the  log  that  was 
causing  the  trouble  and  to  loosen  it  so  as  to  relieve  the  jam.  This  kind 
of  life,  both  in  the  woods  and  on  the  logs  coming  down  stream,  was 
very  dangerous,  and  the  newspapers  of  those  logging  days  had  many 
serious  accidents  to  report. 

THE  SAW  MILLS. 

The  busy  season  of  the  mills  was  after  the  spring  floods  had 
brought  the  logs  to  them.  The  amount  of  lumber  cut  during  a  season 
was  often  limited  on  account  of  the  water  being  so  low  in  the  spring 
that  fewer  logs  than  usual  could  be  floated  to  the  mills. 


An  Early  Saw  Mill. 

Showing  the  incline  and  endless  chain  by  means  of 

which  the  logs  were  taken  from  the 

river  to  the  saw. 


The  logs,  each  of  which  had  been  stamped  with  the  initials  of  the 
owner,  were  sorted  and  collected  in  booms — that  is,  in  a  large  space 
along  the  river  bank  near  the  mill,  that  had  been  enclosed  with  large 
logs  fastened  together  with  chains.  As  the  logs  were  needed,  they 
were  brought  to  the  incline,  where  an  endless  chain  caught  the  log, 
carried  it  into  the  mill,  and  presented  it  to  the  saw  for  cutting. 

The  rapid  increase  in  the  amount  of  lumber  produced  here  each 
year  was  due  more  to  improvements  in  handling  the  logs  and  in  the 
kinds  of  saws  and  other  machinery  used  than  to  the  increase  in  the 
number  and  size  of  the  mills.  The  first  saws  used  here  were :  the  cir- 
cular— from  three  to  five  feet  in  diameter;  the  muley — upright  and 
fastened  at  the  ends ;  and  the  upright  saws  fastened  at  the  ends  in  a 


106 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


frame.  These  were  rather  slow  in  operation  and  were  so  thick  that 
from  one-fourth  to  nearly  one-half  of  the  log  was  wasted  in  saw-dust. 
When  a  saw  one-fourth  of  an  inch  thick  was  used,  for  every  four 
boards  one  inch  thick  that  were  cut  one  board  was  cut  up  into  saw- 
dust. Later  the  gang  saw,  with  as  many  as  twenty-four  saws  fastened 
in  an  upright  frame,  was  used.  This  frame,  as  in  the  case  of  the  single 
upright  saw,  was  moved  up  and  down  rapidly  by  machinery,  cutting 
the  log  into  many  boards  at  one  operation.  This  increased  the  amount 
of  lumber  that  could  be  cut  by  a  mill  in  a  given  time,  although  these 


The  Kneeland-Bigelow  Saw  Mill. 

It  is  one  of  the  few  here  today. 

saws  still  cut  only  one-half  of  the  time — ^that  is,  on  the  down  stroke. 
Thinner  saws  made  a  great  saving,  as  there  was  much  less  saw-dust. 
It  is  said  that  the  Sage  mill  (1865)  was  the  first  mill  in  the  valley  to 
use  the  gang  saw.  Still  later  the  endless  band  saw,  about  ten  inches 
wide,  thirty  feet  in  circumference,  and  only  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch 
thick,  arranged  on  pulleys  like  a  belt,  was  used.  This  cut  continuously, 
with  the  log  moving  rapidly  back  and  forth  on  a  carriage  and  so  was  a 
wonderful  improvement,  although  the  circular  and  gang  saws  were 
still  necessary  for  certain  purposes.  It  is  said  that  Wheeler's  shipyard 
was  the  first  to  use  the  band  saw  in  Bay  County,  and  soon  after  the 
Standard  Hoop  Company  also  made  use  of  it. 


EARLY  DEVELOPMENT — LUMBERING. 


107 


To  make  the  lumber,  great  slabs  had  to  be  cut  off  the  sides  of  the 
logs.  There  were  also  the  poor  pieces  which  would  not  be  used  for 
lumber  in  those  days.  These  slabs  and  cull  lumber  were  cut  up  into 
by-products  such  as  slab-wood  for  the  stove,  shingles,  lath,  barrel 
staves,  and  barrel  heading.  As  the  output  of  lumber  increased,  the 
production  of  these  by-products  increased  by  the  million. 

REFERENCES. 

Bay  County  History — Gansser. 

Bay  County  History — 1883. 

Saginaw  Valley  Directory  for  1866  and  1867. 

History  of  Bay  County — -1876.     Hotchkiss  and  Dow. 

Directory  of  Bay  City,  etc. — 1868-18  69. 

Industries  of  the  Bay  Cities — Marquis  &  Co. — 18  89. 

Bay  City  Tribune,  November,  18  87. 


Corbin  School. 


108        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Chapter  XVIII. 

INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT— SALT. 


E  HAVE  seen  that  the  Indians  of  Michigan  used  to  travel 
long  distances  in  order  to  get  salt  from  the  springs  along  the 
tributaries  of  the  Saginaw  River.  (1)  Later,  the  settlers 
found  and  made  use  of  these  "salt  licks"  or  "deer  licks,"  as 
the  springs  were  often  called  from  the  fact  that  the  animals 
would  search  out  the  springs  in  order  to  lick  up  the  precious  salt  that 
was  to  be  found  where  the  water  came  out  of  the  ground. 

In  1837  the  first  state  geologist,  Dr.  Houghton,  examined  the  part 
of  the  state  where  salt  was  to  be  found  (2)  and  insisted  that  it  was 
in  such  quantity  and  quality  that  it  would  pay  to  start  salt  wells. 
In  fact,  in  1838  the  state  gave  $3,000  to  carry  on  the  work,  and  Dr. 
Houghton  began  to  drill  a  well  on  the  Tittabawassee  River.  This  had 
to  be  given  up,  however,  as  the  location  was  too  far  in  the  wilderness 
at  that  time  to  get  the  needed  supplies,  repairs  to  the  machinery,  and 
men  to  carry  on  the  work. 

It  was  shortly  after  this  well  was  abandoned  by  the  state  that  the 
lumber  industry  began  its  remarkable  development.  Men  were  put- 
ting their  money  into -something  that  was  certain  to  bring  large  profits, 
and  this  salt  was  entirely  neglected  for  the  next  twenty  years.  Even 
then  nothing  would  have  been  done,  it  is  claimed,  if  the  state  legisla- 
ture, as  a  result  of  the  efforts  of  men  from  Bay  City,  Saginaw,  and 
Grand  Rapids,  among  whom  were  James  Birney  and  Albert  Miller, 
had  not  provided  in  1859  for  a  bounty  of  10  cents  per  bushel. 

Confident  of  this  help  from  the  state,  men  were  willing  to  invest 
money  in  the  undertaking,  for  with  such  a  bounty  there  would  be 
little  risk  of  losing,  even  if  the  salt  was  not  found  to  be  very  plentiful. 
The  law  was  repealed  in  1861,  so  that  very  little  help  was  actually  re- 
ceived from  the  state.  But  in  the  meantime  the  East  Saginaw  Salt 
Manufacturing  Company  had  been  organized,  had  drilled  a  well  in 
the  lower  part  of  East  Saginaw,  and  by  February  7th,  1860,  had  been 
able  to  make  the  following  report :  "We  are  happy  now  to  assure  you 
that  Saginaw  possesses  salt  water,  second  in  strength  and  purity,  and 
we  believe  in  quantity,  to  none  in  the  United  States."  (3)  It  is  inter- 
esting to  note  that  the  above  report  was  made  on  February  7,  and  that 
on  March  13,  1860,  the  first  salt  company  in  Bay  County  was  or- 
ganized, followed  a  few  days  later  by  a  second  company.    We  can  well 


(1)  Pag-e  31. 

(2)  III.  19. 

(3)  Pioneer  Directory  of  the  Saginaw  Valley,  1866  and  1867,  page  44. 


INDUSTRIAL     DEVELOPMENT.  109 

believe  that  the  report  of  the  Saginaw  company  had  had  an  effect  "like 
an  electric  shock." 

Several  of  our  leading  pioneers  were  interested  in  this  new  indus- 
try. The  first  of  these  Bay  County  corporations,  The  Portsmouth  Salt 
Company,  with  its  well  in  the  south  end  of  the  present  east  side,  was 
organized  by  James  J.  McCormick,  Appleton  Stevens,  B.  F.  Beckwith, 
A.  D.  Braddock,  Albert  Miller,  C.  E.  Jennison,  W.  Daglish,  Martin 
Watrous,  and  Wm.  ,R.  McCormick ;  and  the  second,  with  its  well  on 
the  site  of  the  present  Michigan  Pipe  Works  and  called  the  Bay  City 
Salt  Company,  was  controlled  by  James  Fraser,  D.  H.  Fitzhugh,  H.  M. 
Fitzhugh,  and  Curtis  Munger.  "The  two  were  purposely  sunk  far 
apart,  as  there  were  many  people  who  believed  that  the  supply  of 
brine  would  soon  be  exhausted."  (4) 

It  was  soon  found  that  the  salt  could  be  made  in  connection  with 
the  saw  mills.  Conducted  as  a  business  by  itself,  the  expenses  were 
so  great  and  the  profit  so  small  that  it  would  take  only  a  small  drop 
in  the  selling  price  of  salt  to  make  the  business  a  failure.  But  by  using 
the  waste  sawdust,  a  product  of  the  saw  mills  that  was  hard  to  dis- 
pose of,  the  brine  could  be  heated  and  the  salt  obtained  by  evapora- 
tion, at  a  reasonable  cost.  Soon  the  improved  machinery  in  the  saw- 
mills reduced  the  amount  of  sawdust  so  that  most  of  it  could  be  burned 
in  heating  the  boilers  of  the  mill,  and  then  the  exhaust  steam  was  used 
for  heating  the  brine.  Other  conditions  besides  cheap  fuel  helped  to 
reduce  the  cost  of  salt  manufacturing  here;  The  brine  was  pumped 
direct  from  the  earth.  It  has  not  been  necessary,  as  in  some  places,  to 
pour  water  into  a  bed  of  salt,  allow  it  to  dissolve  the  salt,  then  pump 
it  out  and  proceed  with  evaporation.  The  cost  of  shipping  was  made 
less  by  the  manufacture  of  the  barrels  required  for  that  purpose  out 
of  waste  materials  from  the  mills. 

METHODS  USED  IN  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  SALT. 

At  first,  the  salt  in  Bay  County  was  removed  from  the  brine  by 
the  "kettle"  system.  One  company  would  have  about  60  kettles 
arranged  in  two  rows  in  a  space  about  100  feet  long.  These  kettles 
were  about  four  feet  across.  When  the  water  had  boiled  till  the  kettle 
was  nearly  dry,  the  salt  was  taken  out  and  packed  for  shipment.  About 
one  bushel  of  salt  was  obtained  from  each  kettle.  It  is  said  that  this 
method  was  in  use  for  about  ten  years. 

Then  the  kettles  were  replaced  with  pans.  These  were  from  12  to 
16  feet  wide  and  about  25  feet  long.  Fires  were  kept  burning  under 
the  pans  all  day  and  two  men  raked  the   salt  out  as  it  settled.    The 


(4)      Bay  County  History — 1883,  page  53. 


110        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

pans  were  still  used  after  the  fires  were  replaced  with  pipes  heated  by 
exhaust  steam.  They  were  also  used  in  the  "sun"  system  of  evapora- 
tion. For  this  purpose  the  pans  were  arranged  with  roofs  over  them. 
In  sunny  weather  they  could  be  moved  on  rollers  from  under  the  roofs 
(or  the  roofs  from  over  the  pans)  and  the  heat  of  the  sun  would  help 
to  remove  the  water  from  the  brine.  In  case  of  rain  the  pans  could  be 
easily  put  under  cover.  There  were  whole  fields  of  pans  in  this  system, 
and  such  fields  would  yield  two  "crops"  of  salt  each  year.  The  salt  ob- 
tained in  this  way  was  very  coarse. 

It  is  said  that  as  a  result  of  these  early  salt  blocks,  which  were  out 
in  the  open  air,  the  farmers  lost  many  of  their  cows.  The  cows  "would 
go  to  the  salt  block  and  drink  the  bittern  water,  which  would  poison 
them.  The  people  had  to  give  their  cattle  plenty  of  salt  so  they  would 
not  go  to  the  salt  blocks  for  it." 

The  present  method,  employed  at  the  Bigelow-Cooper  plant,  is  as 
follows : 

The  salt  brine  is  pumped  from  a  depth  of  about  860  feet,  by  means 
of  a  derrick,  through  a  pipe  which  is  about  five  inches  in  diameter,  en- 
cased in  a  larger  pipe.  The  brine  is  carried  in  pipes  to  large  concrete 
tanks  about  eight  feet  high,  fifteen  feet  wide  and  thirty-five  feet  long. 
These  "settling  tanks"  are  out  in  the  open,  allowing  some  of  the  water 
to  evaporate  from  the  brine  while  the  salt  settles  and  is  treated  with 
a  preparation  of  lime.  The  brine  flows  into  the  settling  tanks  at  the 
top,  and  is  later  drawn  out  at  the  bottom.  It  next  passes  through  the 
"pre-heating  tanks,"  which  are  under  cover  and  are  heated  by  means 
of  pipes  filled  with  exhaust  steam  from  the  engines  of  the  hardwood 
flooring  mill.  This  steam  has  already  been  used  in  the  dry  kiln.  The 
temperature  of  the  brine  in  the  settling  tanks  varies  from  forty  to 
sixty  degrees,  according  to  the  season  of  the  year.  In  the  pre-heating 
tanks  the  temperature  is  raised  to  about  150°.  This  pre-heating  is 
not  really  necessary,  but  saves  time  in  the  next  process. 

From  the  pre-heating  tanks  the  brine  is  carried  by  pipes  to  the 
"grainer,"  another  series  of  tanks  where  the  temperature  of  the  brine 
is  raised  to  from  170°  to  190°,  the  best  being  about  180°.  The  vapor 
in  this  part  of  the  salt  block  is  very  dense,  showing  that  the  water  is 
evaporating  rapidly.  But  it  is  necessary  to  take  out  only  a  part  of  the 
water.  While  the  brine  is  in  these  tanks  the  pure  salt  settles  to  the 
bottom.  Machines  called  "rakers"  then  scrape  the  salt  to  the  edge  of 
the  tank,  where  it  drops  into  the  "conveyors"  or  troughs,  leaving  the 
other  chemicals,  which  are  always  present  in  the  brine  pumped  out  of 
the  wells,  in  a  solution  called  "bittern  water."    This  is  passed  through 


INDUSTRIAL     DEVELOPMENT. 


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112        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

the  "bittern  water  tanks,"  where  it  is  re-heated.  More  salt,  this  time 
of  a  poorer  grade,  but  suitable  for  certain  uses,  such  as  packing  ice 
cream,  is  raked  out.  The  bittern  water  is  emptied  into  tank  cars  and 
is  shipped  to  chemical  factories  where  bromide,  calcium  chloride,  and 
other  chemicals  are  taken  from  it  to  be  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
baking  soda,  washing  soda,  and  other  products.  It  is  said  that  the 
Dow  Chemical  Company  at  Midland  pumps  brine  from  a  depth  of 
about  2,200  feet,  and  without  making  salt,  proceeds  to  the  manufacture 
of  chemical  materials. 

The  pure  salt  that  is  raked  into  the  conveyors  is  carried  by 
machinery  to  the  stock  or  storage  room,  where  it  is  dropped  from 
above  out  of  openings  in  the  conveyors  into  large  cone-shaped  piles 
onto  the  floor.  By  this  time  the  salt  is  practically  dry  and  is  loaded  by 
means  of  wheelbarrows  into  the  freight  cars  that  stand  alongside  of 
the  building.  If  the  salt  is  not  to  be  shipped  in  bulk  in  this  way,  it  is 
packed  into  barrels,  280  pounds  to  the  barrel.  The  salt  that  is  made 
by  this  grainer  process  is  coarse,  but  is  of  a  very  high  grade.  Unlike 
that  made  from  rock  salt,  it  does  not  cake  hard  in  the  barrels.  The 
Bigelow-Cooper  salt  block  produces  on  an  average  of  from  200  to  250 
barrels  of  salt  per  day. 

SHIP  BUILDING. 

A  third  industry  which  gave  Bay  City  fame  throughout  the  coun- 
try, and  which,  on  account  of  the  many  laborers  employed,  helped  in 
the  rapid  development  of  the  lower  Saginaw  valley,  was  that  of  ship- 
building. Here  were  to  be  found  the  oak,  pine,  tamarack,  and  other 
varieties  of  timber  needed  in  making  different  parts  of  a  boat.  Such 
materials  could  not  only  be  obtained  at  a  very  reasonable  price,  but 
the  quality  was  of  the  best,  and  when  large  timber  was  needed  for 
certain  purposes,  it  was  right  at  hand.  Moreover,  the  deep  but  pro- 
tected harbor  of  the  river  mouth  was  a  convenient  place  for  the  boats 
to  remain  during  the  winter  and  receive  needed  repairs,  and  it  was 
broad  enough  for  the  launching  of  new  ships. 

Small  boats  were  built  in  this  vicinity  long  before  the  valley  was 
settled.  Fishing  boats  were  built  here  as  early  as  1849.  The  first 
large  boats  were  the  "Essex"  and  the  "Bay  City,"  built  by  H.  D. 
Braddock  &  Company  in  1857  and  1858.  But  the  real  beginning  of 
ship  building  as  one  of  our  important  industries  was  in  1864,  three 
years  after  the  beginning  of  the  salt  industry,  when  Wm.  Crosthwaite 


INDUSTRIAL     DEVELOPMENT. 


113 


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114 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT, 


opened  his  shipyard  in  Banks.  He  was  followed  in  1865  by  John  A. 
Weed,  and  a  short  time  later  by  George  Carpenter.  In  1873,  James 
Davidson  began  building  ships  where  his  dry  dock  is  now  located,  and 
the  year  1879  saw  the  beginning  of  the  Wheeler  shipyard.  The 
Davidson  and  Wheeler  yards  were  soon  building  some  of  the  largest 
and  best  boats  on  the  lakes.  One  yard  alone  employed,  at  times,  as 
many  as  1,400  men. 

With  the  coming  of  the  steel  boats  on  the  Great  Lakes,  the 
Wheeler  shipyard  was  transformed.  It  began  making  steel  boats  about 
1889,  and  was  soon  building  some  of  the  largest  steel  boats  used  in 
lake  commerce.    The  launching  of  each  of  these  immense  freight  boats 


Launching  the  Ship. 


furnished  a  wonderful  sight,  and  was  counted  a  great  event  through- 
out the  city.  Some  of  them  were  as  long  as  two  of  our  city  blocks  and 
could  carry  as  much  wheat  or  lumber  in  one  load  as  300  or  more 
freight  cars. 

FISHING. 

Fishing  was  a  fourth  industry  that  helped  carry  the  fame  of  this 
region  to  all  parts  of  the  state  and  to  cities  far  beyond  the  boundaries 
of  Michigan.  In  some  places  the  county  was  known  for  its  fish  before 
it  had  gained  fame  as  a  lumber  region. 


INDUSTRIAL     DEVELOPMENT, 


115 


The  pioneers  had  found 
unlimited  supplies  of  fish  of 
many  kinds  and  sizes,  and 
many  of  them  did  more  fish- 
ing than  hunting  or  farming. 
Many  fish  that  are  scarce  now 
were  very  plentiful  in  those 
early  days,  Bela  Hubbard,  a 
Detroit  pioneer,  visited  Sag- 
inaw Bay  at  an  early  date 
while  on  a  geological  expedi- 
tion in  1837,  and  had  an  inter- 
esting fishing  experience. 
"Sport  of  an  unusual  kind 
awaited  us.  In  the  waves 
that  broke  among  the  bould- 
ers along  the  shore,  the  stur- 
geon were  gamboling.  So  in- 
tent were  they  upon  their 
play,  and  so  ignorant  of  man's 
superior  cunning,  that, 
springing  in  among  them,  af- 
ter a  vigorous  tussle  we  threw 
one  ashore  with  no  other  aid 
than  our  hands.  It  stocked 
our  larder  for  several  days 
with  its  variety  of  meat  — 
fish,  fowl,  and  Albany  beef." 
(5) 

The  first  fish  exported  in 
quantities  from  the  valley 
were  salted.  In  1857  the  fish 
formed  a  good  share  of  the 
exports  of  the  region,  and  in 
1860,  $50,000  worth  of  fish 
were   caught.     With   the    de- 


Sturgeon  Caught  in  Saginaw  Bay, 
6^  ft.  long;  weight,  161  lbs. 


velopment  of  the  lumber  and  salt  industries,  fishing  became  still  more 
important  because,  as  in  the  case  of  salt,  the  cheap  barrels  obtained  as 
a  by-product  from  the  saw  mill,  helped  lower  the  cost.  In  addition  to 
this,  the  salt  industry  furnished  cheap  salt  for  packing  purposes. 


(5)  III.  199. — The  sturgeon  stay  near  the  rocks  at  spawning-  time.  An  experi- 
enced fisherman  says  that  the  meat  of  the  sturgeon  under  the  fln  at  tlie  head  is  much 
like  beef,  while  the  cheeks,  weighing  about  one  pound  each,  are  a  little  lighter  in 
color.  This  probably  explains  Mr.  Hubbard's  reference  to  the  three  kinds  of  meat. 
Also  see  Nah  Sash  Kah  Moqua,  page  137. 


116 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


In  1864  "Uncle"'  Harvey 
Williams  decided  that  it  was 
possible  to  ship  "fresh"  instead 
of  "salted"  fish  from  Bay  City. 
There  would  be  a  greater  de- 
mand for  fresh  fish,  and  they 
would  bring  greater  profits.  The 
plan  was  practical,  and  was  soon 
proved  a  success.  During  the 
winter  the  fish  were  caught  and 
frozen.  They  were  then  packed 
in  barrels  between  layers  of  ice, 
and  shipped  to  Detroit,  Cleve- 
land, Cincinnati,  and  even  to 
New  York.  From  some  of  these 
cities  they  were  reshipped  far- 
ther to  the  south.  The  fisheries 
or  "freezers"  were  located  near 
the  mouth  of  the  river  where  the 
fish  could  be  taken  from  the 
boats,  sorted,  and  frozen  ready 
for  shipment.  When  the  weather 
Mending  the  Nets.  was  not  cold    enough   for  freez- 

ing,   the   fish   were   frozen   and 
packed,  as  is  ice  cream,  by  using  salt  with  the  ice. 

The  increase  in  the  amount  of  fish  exported  each  year  was  very 
rapid,  and  was  made  still  greater  by  the  coming  of  the  railroads, 
which  made  rapid  shipments  in  all  directions  possible.  In  1882  (6) 
it  was  reported  that  there  were  at  least  from  400  to  500  men  engaged 
in  fishing  that  spring,  and  that  they  used  as  many  as  450  nets  and  from 
75  to  100  boats.  As  many  as  forty,  fifty,  and  even  sixty  tons  of  fish 
were  obtained  daily  during  April,  an  actual  record  of  60  tons  being 
made  on  April  7.  (7) 

The  fishing  grounds  and  the  kind  of  fish  that  were  caught  varied 
with  the  season.  Pickerel  came  to  the  bay  about  April  1  to  spawn, 
while  the  white  fish  were  plentiful  in  the  fall.  The  best  fishing 
grounds  in  the  early  eighties  were  along  the  east  and  west  shores  of 
the  bay,  about  twenty  miles  each  side  of  the  mouth  of  the  Saginaw 
River.  The  fish  were  also  plentiful  in  the  rivers  flowing  into  Saginaw 
Bay.     Most  of  the   fishermen   lived  in  Bangor  (Banks) ,   where  they 


(6)  See  Bay  City  Tribune  for  April  23,  1882. 

(7)  See  Fishing-  Statistics  in  Appendix. 


INDUSTRIAL     DEVELOPMENT.  117 

were  within  easy  reach  of  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  the  bay.  They 
were  strong  men  who  had  great  skill  in  handling  nets  and  boats,  and 
their  courage  and  daring  were  constantly  put  to  the  test  in  the  many 
dangers  and  hardships  they  had  to  pass  through  as  a  result  of  wind 
and  snow  storms  and  serious  accidents  while  far  from  shore.  The 
fish  were  not  always  plentiful,  and  in  a  backward  season,  such  as 
occurred  in  1884,  which  was  the  worst  year  out  of  six  for  catching 
fish  (8) ,  many  became  poverty-stricken  and  the  families  suffered  from 
hunger  and  cold. 

METHODS  USED. 

At  first  huge  row  boats,  about  thirty  feet  long,  were  used  along 
the  shore,  several  strong  men  furnishing  the  power  at  the  oars.  These 
were  replaced  with  sail  boats  (fishing  smacks) ,  and  still  later  the 
steam  launch  was  introduced. 

There  was  much  fishing  with  hook  and  line,  but  the  fisherman  who 
made  their  living  at  the  work  used  nets.  The  seine  was  a  sort  of  a 
fence  made  of  netting  that  was  used  near  the  shore.  It  was  kept  in 
an  upright  position  by  the  use  of  lead  sinkers  attached  along  one  edge 
and  cedar  corks  or  floats  along  the  other  edge.  The  seine  was  placed 
in  the  water  some  distance  from  the  shore  and,  with  whatever  fish  got 
in  its  way,  was  slowly  pulled  ashore,  by  winding  a  long  rope  on  a 
windlass  or  capstan.  Men  turned  the  windlass  or  capstan  for  small 
seines,  but  horses  were  used  for  the  large  ones. 

"Just  west  of  the  D.  &  M.  bridge  there  used  to  be  a  seine  grounds 
owned  by  Mrs.  Tromble.  Another  was  above  South  Bay  City  at  a 
place  that  used  to  be  called  the  'devil's  elbow.'  Another  seine  ground 
was  at  the  mouth  of  the  Saginaw  River  on  the  east  side,  known  in  the 
early  days  as  the  Harvey  Williams  grounds.  Harvey  Williams  also 
had  a  seine  ground  where  the  Casino  now  stands  in  Wenona  Beach. 
His  residence  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kawkawlin  River."  (9) 

Other  nets,  such  as  the  "trap  net,"  were  used  farther  from  shore 
and  were  fastened  to  stakes.  (10)  For  cat-fish  a  "night-line"  was 
used  frequently.  This  was  a  long  horizontal  line,  with  hooks  lowered 
from  it  at  regular  intervals,  which  was  left  out  during  the  night. 

In  the  winter  there  was  good  fishing  out  on  the  bay  through  holes 
in  the  ice  by  means  of  nets  or  with  spears.  In  good  seasons  there 
have  been  from  500  to  2,000  men  fishing  on  the  bay  in  this   manner. 


used. 


(8)  Bay  City  Tribune,  January,  1884. 

(9)  From  an  account  by  one  of  the  pupils. 

(10)  Some   of  the  boys  can  probably  describe  the   "trap,"    "gill,"  and  other  nets 


118        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

They  would  have  a  Httle  fishing  shanty,  together  with  supplies  for  a 
number  of  days  hauled  out  on  a  sled.  The  river  and  bay  woulld  be 
dotted  with  these  shanties,  for  they  were  not  grouped  together  in  vil- 
lages as  some  accounts  relate,  but  were  scattered  over  many  miles  and 
in  all  directions.  It  is  said  that  a  few  seasons  there  were  enough  men 
fishing  on  the  bay  to  induce  someone  to  start  a  supply  center  or  store 
out  on  the  ice  to  which  the  men  could  go  for  food  and  fishing  materials, 
and  occasionally  someone  who  wanted  to  get  a  share  of  the  profits 
without  actually  fishing,  would  set  up  a  little  saloon  where  the  shan- 
ties were  especially  numerous.  That  was  the  nearest  there  came  to  be- 
ing the  village  of  "Iceburg,"  according  to  several  of  the  pioneers. 

The  desire  of  the  fishermen  to  catch  all  they  could  before  the  ice 
broke  away  from  shore  in  the  spring  frequently  got  them  into  serious 
trouble.  Scarcely  a  spring  would  pass  without  some  of  the  more  ven- 
turesome being  caught  on  floating  masses  of  ice  and  carried  far  from 
shore.  A  sudden  thaw  accompanied  by  an  off-shore  wind  would  de- 
tach the  ice  before  they  could  reach  shore.  This  would  result  in  much 
sufi'ering  from  cold  and  lack  of  food,  and  sometimes  there  even  was 
loss  of  life.  There  have  been  as  many  as  forty  or  more  men  lost  on  the 
bay  in  this  manner,  at  which  times  there  was  great  anxiety  among  the 
families  and  friends  in  the  city. 

REFERENCES. 

See  references  for  Chapter  XVII. 

Also  see  old  newspaper  files  and  directories  in  the  libraries. 


Chapter  XIX. 

INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT- 
GENERAL  MANUFACTURING  AND  AGRICULTURE. 
MANUFACTURING. 

0  rapid  was  the  development  of  these  four  great  industries — 
lumbering,  salt  manufacturing,  shipbuilding,  and  fishing — 
that  the  population  of  Bay  County  increased  from  3,164  in 
1860  to  56,412  in  1890  (1) — eighteen  times  as  many  people 
as  there  were  but  thirty  years  before.    The  amount  of  money 


invested  in  the  fishing  industry  was  very  small  when  compared  with 
that  invested  in  lumbering.  Salt  manufacturing  could  hardly  have 
been  successful  by  itself,  and  shipbuilding  used  the  products  of  the 
lumber  camps  and  saw-mills  as  its  raw  material.  So  it  is  clear  that 
practically  the  entire  development  of  the  region  for  about  forty  years 
centered  around  lumbering. 


(1)      Gansser  115. 


INDUSTRIAL     DEVELOPMENT.  119 

The  people  were  satisfied  at  first  to  cut  the  logs  up  into  rough 
boards  and  ship  this  lumber  to  other  places  to  be  made  into  the  finished 
product.  The  editors  of  the  newspapers  and  probably  many  other 
people  frequently  called  the  attention  of  the  city  to  the  lack  of  wisdom 
in  allowing  this  condition  to  continue.  Gradually  other  industries 
were  started  and  many  of  these  made  use  of  the  logs  or  materials  cut 
from  the  logs.  Planing  mills  were  soon  started  to  finish  the  lumber 
and  to  prepare  it  for  use  for  both  exterior  and  interior  building  pur- 
poses. 

The  manufacture  of  distinct  wooden  products,  aside  from  the  by- 
products made  from  the  slabs  and  cull  lumber,  began  with  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  Bay  City  Woodenware  Works  in  1868  by  Mr. 
George  Hood  in  Portsmouth.  Bousfield  &  Company  bought  the  fac- 
tory in  1875,  and  it  became  the  largest  woodenware  factory  of  its  kind 
in  the  world,  holding  that  position  for  many  years.  The  products  of 
the  factory  included  pails  and  tubs  of  all  kinds.  There  were  the  wash 
tubs  that  were  universally  used  before  the  invention  of  the  galvanized 
iron  tubs.  The  wooden  tubs  were  strong,  and  were  very  durable  if  not 
allowed  to  dry  out.  As  a  dry  tub  would  shrink  and  fall  apart,  it  often 
became  the  duty  of  the  small  boy  in  the  family  to  see  that  the  tubs  did 
not  lack  water  during  the  intervals  between  washings.  Other  products 
were  wooden  churns,  water  pails,  tobacco  pails,  pails  for  shipping 
candy  in  the  wholesale  trade,  butter  and  lard  pails  and  tubs,  and  many 
others  for  special  uses.  These  were  produced  at  the  rate  of  20,000 
per  day  when  the  factory  was  at  its  best,  and  the  pails  were  sold  to 
packing  concerns  all  over  the  country.  Then,  packed  with  goods  of 
various  kinds,  they  were  shipped  all  over  the  world.  After  being 
emptied  of  their  contents  they  were  used  in  the  homes  in  these  distant 
places. 

The  next  year  after  the  woodenware  factory  was  started,  1869, 
saw  the  establishment  of  another  factory  that  was  destined  to  bring 
fame  to  Bay  City.  This  was  the  Northwestern  Gas  and  Water  Pipe 
Company  for  the  manufacture  of  wooden  pipes  from  logs.  In  1881  it 
came  under  the  control  of  H.  B.  Smith,  and  the  name  was  changed  to 
the  Michigan  Pipe  Company.  "Michigan"  pipes  were  invented  for 
use  in  city  water  systems,  in  mines,  in  irrigation  projects,  in  factories 
such  as  tanneries,  distilleries,  and  chemical  plants  where  iron  pipes 
would  be  affected  by  the  chemicals,  and  for  gas.  The  wooden  pipes 
are  cheaper  than  iron,  they  withstand  great  pressure,  they  are  lighter 
to  handle,  and  if  not  exposed  to  the  weather  they  will  last  for  many 
years.  "The  thirty-inch  wood  pipe  line  supplying  Bay  City  with  water 
and  extending  from  Oak  Grove  to  the  water  works   pumping  station, 


120 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Boring  Solid  Pipe. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  Michigan  Pipe  Company  made  the  pipes  from  the 
solid  logs.  These  were  bored  with  hollow  augers  so  that  the  center  piece  could 
be  used  for  still  smaller  pipes.  In  this  way  three  or  four  pipes  were  obtained 
from  one  large  log.  Now,  the  pipes  are  made  of  selected,  thoroughly  seasoned 
white  pine  and  tamarack  staves. 


Showing  Method  of  Banding  Pipe. 

The  above  picture  shows  three  operations  in  the  manufacture  of  "Michigan" 
water  pipe. 

1.  Taking  the  selected  staves  from  the  planer. 

2.  Placing  them  into  the  temporary  form  previous  to  banding. 

3.  Banding  the  pipe. 

The  tension  is  so  great  on  the  pipe  as  to  almost    imbed    the    steel  into  the 
wood,  thus  absolutely  protecting  the  under  side  of  the  band. 


INDUSTRIAL     DEVELOPMENT, 


121 


One  of  the  Large  Coating  Machines, 

The  pipe  is  taken  to  the  coating  rolls,  where  the  outside  surface  is  covered 
with  a  thick  layer  of  hot  liquid  asphaltum,  rolled  in  sawdust  on  a  sawdust  table, 
placed  back  on  the  coating  rolls  to  receive  another  layer  of  asphaltum  and  rolled 
again  in  sawdust.     This  operation  gives  the  pipe  a  double  imperishable  coating. 

The  pipe  is  then  trimmed  on  the  ends  and  cooled  on  rollers  revolving  in  a 
bath  of  cold  water,  after  which  it  is  ready  for  shipment. 


has  been  in  use  for  some  forty-five  years  and  is  still  doing  good  work." 
The  Michigan  Pipe  Company  has  sold  its  pipes  all  over  the  country 
and  even  in  distant  foreign  countries. 

Many  other  factories  making  wooden  products  were  started. 
These  included  a  number  of  wagon  and  carriage  factories,  an  oar  fac- 
tory, and  hoop  factories. 

The  many  saw  mills  of  the  valley  created  an  ever-increasing  de- 
mand for  boilers  and  machinery,  and  for  material  for  their  repair 
when  damaged.  As  a  result  the  iron  and  steel  manufacturing  industry 
got  an  early  start,  though  for  many  years  it  was  on  a  rather  small 
scale.  In  the  directory  of  1866,  John  McDowell,  who  was  the  owner 
of  a  foundry  that  had  been  established  in  1856  by  John  Burden,  adver- 
tised himself  as  the  ''manufacturer  of  steam  engines  of  all  kinds,  salt 
and  potash  kettles,  mill  gearing  of  every  description,  plows,  and  all 
kinds  of  brass  and  iron  castings,"  By  1876  there  were  five  machine 
shops  and  several  boiler  factories.  These  included  the  Industrial 
Works,  which  had  been  started  in  1873 ;  the  MacKinnon  boiler  factory 


122        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

— at  that  time  the  largest  boiler  factory  in  the  city,  and  the  only  one 
using  steam — the  Smalley  Brothers  machine  shop,  and  others  on  both 
sides  of  the  river. 

In  1867  the  first  grist  mill  was  established  at  the  corner  of  First 
and  Water  streets  by  J.  N.  McDonald  &  Company.  "It  has  two  run  of 
stones — equal  to  a  capacity  of  20  barrels  per  day."  (2) 

AGRICULTURE. 

"In  the  early  days  little  had  been  done  in  agriculture  in  this  re- 
gion. One  reason  was  that  men  preferred  to  work  in  the  saw-mills 
rather  than  clear  the  land  for  farms,  which  was  much  harder  work 
and  would  not  bring  them  money  for  a  long  time.  Land  that  did  not 
have  to  be  cleared  was  so  low  and  swampy  that  it  had  to  be  drained 
before  good  farms  could  be  made."  (3) 

Some  of  the  early  pioneers  started  small  farms.  Sidney  S.  Camp- 
bell raised  grain  at  a  very  early  date,  and  James  G.  Birney  brought  a 
herd  of  thoroughbred  cattle  to  the  county  during  his  residence  here. 
But  in  spite  of  these  early  beginnings,  a  number  of  years  later,  in  1855, 
there  were  only  twenty-one  farms  in  the  limits  of  Bay  County.  (4) 
But  interest  in  farming  must  have  been  increasing,  for  it  is  claimed 
that  two  years  later,  when  the  county  was  organized,  there  were  fifty- 
seven  farms. 

The  difficulties  confronting  the  early  farmer  did  not  end  with  the 
clearing  of  the  land  or  with  its  drainage.  There  was  a  serious  lack  of 
roads,  making  it  very  difficult  to  get  their  produce  to  any  market 
whatever.  And  they  had  actually  to  fight  for  what  they  raised  for 
their  own  use,  for  the  blackbirds  were  determined  to  get  far  more  than 
their  fair  share  of  the  crop.  "Blackbirds  were  so  plentiful  at  an  early 
day  in  the  Saginaw  Valley  that  the  farmers  had  to  build  scaffolds  in 
their  cornfields  where  the  children  would  have  to  sit  and  hallo  at  the 
birds  to  keep  them  from  destroying  the  crops.  Mr.  Ephraim  S.  Wil- 
liams had  a  fine,  large  single-barreled  duck  gun  which  he  loaded  with 
mustard  seed  shot  and  commenced  firing  from  the  store  door  (in  Sag- 
inaw) as  the  other  parties  drove  the  birds  from  the  oats.  Mr.  Williams 
fired  ten  shots  and  his  brother,  B,  0.  Williams,  one  shot,  making  eleven 
in  all.  After  each  shot  the  boys  and  all  hands  would  pick  up  the  dead 
and  wounded  and  put  them  in  a  pile  at  the  store.  They  gathered  as 
the  result  of  the  eleven  shots,  545  birds,  and  for  days  after,  in  the 
road  and  at  the  edge  of  the  river,  there  were  hundreds  that  had  crawl- 


(2)  Bay  City  Directory  for  1868-1869,  page  213. 

(3)  From  an  account  by  one  of  the  pupils. 

(4)  Bay  County  History,  1876,  page  24. 


INDUSTRIAL     DEVELOPMENT.  123 

ed  to  the  river  for  drink  and  died  there.  You  may  think  this  a  good 
many  birds,  nevertheless  it  is  strictly  true."  (5)  Mr.  McCormick  also 
tells  of  the  bounty  the  state  paid  for  dead  blackbirds  in  order  to  help 
rid  the  farmers  of  the  pest.  He  says  the  boys  used  to  take  their  birds 
to  one  justice  in  particular,  because  after  paying  them  the  bounty  of 
two  cents  per  head,  he  would  throw  the  heads  into  his  back  yard.  Of 
course  some  of  the  boys  would  manage  to  get  them  again  and  resell 
them. 

Beginning  with  the  organization  of  the  county  in  1857,  the 
growth  of  agriculture  must  have  been  steady,  though  perhaps  some- 
what slow.  By  1866  it  had  developed  far  enough  to  make  possible 
the  Bay  County  Agricultural  Society,  which,  under  the  direction  of 
General  B.  F.  Partridge,  as  president,  and  W.  H.  Fennel,  as  secretary, 
established  a  county  fair  grounds  in  the  southern  part  of  the  city  next 
to  the  residence  of  J.  J.  McCormick,  and  conducted  annual  fairs.  (6) 

In  1876  the  number  of  farms  was  claimed  to  be  2,600  in  Bay 
County — ^this  included  all  of  the  present  Arenac  County — and  the  two 
grist  mills  operating  here  at  that  date,  one  in  Bay  City  and  one  in 
Wenona,  had  for  two  years  been  receiving  most  of  their  grain  from 
the  county,  with  some  left  over  for  export.  (7)  Before  that  time  it  is 
related  that  "Tuscola  and  Huron  counties  yield  a  good  deal  of  the 
wheat  now  ground  here."  (8)  In  1879  Bay  County  was  awarded  the 
prize  at  the  Michigan  State  Fair  for  the  best  fruit  and  vegetables  in 
northern  Michigan,  although  at  about  that  same  time  the  Saginaw 
Courier  Herald  said  that  Bay  City  was  so  surrounded  by  swamps  that 
when  lumber  was  all  gone  the  city  would  become  an  insignificant  vil- 
lage. (9) 

The  fact  was  that  men  who  had  formerly  been  blind  to  the  great 
possibilities  of  the  county  as  a  farming  region,  now  began  to  realize 
how  rich  and  valuable  the  soil  was.  Many  left  the  work  in  the  saw- 
mills for  at  least  part  of  the  year  to  take  up  land  and  clear  it  for  farm- 
ing. According  to  Judge  Albert  Miller,  a  homestead  could  be  made  to 
pay  for  itself  in  about  fifteen  years.  Outsiders  also  began  to  be  at- 
tracted to  this  garden  spot,  and  many  foreigners  settled  on  Bay 
County  farms. 

REFERENCES. 

See  references  for  Chapters  XVII.  and  XVIII. 


(.5)  III.  604.    Wm.  R.  McCormick. 

(6)  Directory  nf  Bay  City  for  1868-1869,  page  66. 

(7)  History  of  Bay  County,  1876,  page  64. 

(8)  Directory  for  186S-1869,  page  213. 

(9)  Bay  City  Tribune.  February  27,  1884. 


124 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Chapter  XX 

INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT- 
TRANSPORTATION  AND  COMMUNICATION. 
RIVER  NAVIGATION. 


ATER  transportation  developed  hand  in  hand  with  the  lum- 
bering industry.  In  fact,  the  two  were  inseparable.  Before 
the  lumbering  boom  in  the  Saginaw  Valley,  the  arrival  of  a 
boat  was  of  such  importance  that  it  was  heralded  by  the 
American  Fur  Company's  agent  by  firing  a  small  cannon.  (1) 
It  was  1850  before  there  was  a  weekly  boat,  the  "Columbia,"  con- 
necting the  Saginaw  river  towns  with  Detroit. 

But  by  1854  the  river  was 
reported  to  be  fairly  alive 
with  boats,  and  the  number 
increased  steadily  until  ,  well 
into  the  seventies.  There 
were  the  small  row  boats  of 
the  residents,  the  ferry  boats, 
sail  boats  for  fishing,  tug 
boats  for  aiding  larger  craft 
and  for  pulling  the  great  rafts 
of  logs,  then  there  were  the 
freighters  and  barges  that 
were  ever  increasing  in  size,  and  finally  there  were  the  well-equipped 
passenger  steamers. 

The  river  traffic  was  much  greater  than  was  indicated  by  the 
records  in  the  customs  office  of  boats  that  had  entered  and  cleared  the 
port.  This  river  traffic  is  shown  by  accounts  given  of  the  boats  pass- 
ing through  Third  street  bridge.  In  the  single  month  of  July,  1868, 
there  passed  through  the  bridge  the  following: 

Steamers   326' 

Tugs  1694 

Sailing  vessels.-.  442 
Barges 217 


The  Boutell  Fleet. 


E^ST     S^GHsT.j^'W"     J^l<r3D    B^T     CXTSr    Lin^TE. 


EVSIVriltfG  STAR,  Li.  G.  MASOIV, 

Passenger  Service  on  Saginaw  River  (3) 


Total  2689, 

an  average  of  86  per 
day,  or  more  than 
three  an  hour,  day  and 
night.  (2) 

It  is  hard  to  realize 
the    immense    amount 


(1)  Directory  of  1S66 — Bay  City  Division,  page  5. 

(2)  Directory  of  Bay  City,  1868-9,  page  75. 


TRANSPORTATION  AND  COMMUNICATION.  125 

of  wood  products  that  were  carried  out  of  the  river  during-  the  best 
days  of  the  lumbering  industry,  but  we  can  get  a  slight  idea  of  it  from 
the  number  of  boats  entering  and  clearing  the  port.  The  customs 
oifice  report  for  1883  shows  that  there  were  459  propellers  and  961 
barges  that  entered,  and  481  propellers  and  1,114  barges  that  cleared 
the  port — an  average  of  twelve  for  every  day  of  the  season  of  naviga- 
tion. The  season  usually  lasted  from  the  first  part  of  April  until  the 
first  week  in  December,  or  about  250  days.  (4) 

At  this  same  time  there  was  regular  passenger  connection  with  all 
the  important  lake  ports,  and  also  with  towns  on  the  bay  shore  and  up 
the  river.  There  were  four  propellers  connecting  Bay  City  each 
week  with  Cleveland,  two  for  freight  and  two  for  passengers.  There 
was  such  competition  that  the  round  trip,  including  board,  could  be 
made  for  less  than  $5.00.    In  1882  there  were  three  steamers  for  Al- 


;-**~  «*|%-|i-^'^;"r- 


^ 


Saginaw  River — 1882. 

Looking  South  from  Third  Street  Bridge. 

pena  and  all  points  along  the  west  shore  between  Bay  City  and  Thun- 
der Bay;  three  plying  between  Bay  City  and  Port  Austin  on  the  east 
shore,  distributing  supplies  to  the  towns  along  the  shore ;  and  boats 
started  for  Saginaw  every  two  hours.  (5)  At  this  same  time  there 
were  thirty-five  tugs  on  the  river  towing  the  barges  and  transferring 
the  logs. 

The  United  States  government  aided  by  making  improvements  in 
the  river  and  by  protecting  the  entrance  to  the  harbor.  Careful  sur- 
veys had  been  made  before  the  settlement  of  Bay  County  began.    The 


(3)  The  "Evening  Star"  and  "L.  G.  Mason"  made  regular  trips,  running  alter- 
nate with  each  other  during  the  season  of  1866.  between  East  Saginaw  and  Bay  City, 
touching  at  intermediate  landings,  for  passengers  and  freight,  and  connecting  witli 
trains  on  the  Flint  and  Pere  Marquette  Railway,  at  East  Saginaw.  From  an  adver- 
tisement in  the  Saginaw  Valley  Directory  for  1866-7,  page  58. 

(4)  Bay  City  Tribune,  February  27,  1884.  See  also  the  lumbering  statistics  in 
the  Appendix. 

(5)  Chamber  of  Commerce  Bulletin  for  1S82,  page  6. 


126        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

erection  of  the  first  lighthouse  was  begun  by  Stephen  Wolverton  in 
1839 ;  the  first  dredging  of  the  channel  was  in  1867,  when  the  sand-bar 
that  obstructed  the  entrance  to  the  river  was  cut  through ;  in  1876  the 
breakwater  just  outside  of  the  river  was  built  as  a  protection  for  the 
entrance  to  the  river  in  time  of  storm;  in  1884  and  1885  the  channel 
was  dredged  so  that  the  largest  lake  boats  could  enter;  and  about  1887 
the  old  lighthouse  was  replaced  by  a  new  one,  the  range  light  was 
erected,  and  the  gas  buoy  placed  at  the  entrance  to  the  channel  as  a 
further  aid  to  the  many  boats  entering  and  leaving  the  river.  Until 
1905  the  old  lighthouse  was  used  as  a  residence  by  the  lighthouse 
keeper,  but  then  it  was  torn  down  and  is  now  marked  by  a  flower 
garden. 

CROSSING  THE  RIVER. 
It  is  said  that  there  is  no  great  gain  without  some  loss.  Great  as 
was  the  value  of  the  river  in  the  development  of  Bay  City,  it  proved  to 
be  a  hindrance  when  people  wanted  to  get  across.  At  first  the  settlers 
all  lived  near  the  river  bank  and  had  boats  of  their  own,  so  they  could 
cross  whenever  they  desired.  Soon,  however,  people  built  their  homes 
farther  from  the  river  and  so  did  not  have  boats  of  their  own.  There 
must  be  some  means  for  crossing  the  river.  For  a  long  time  John 
Hayes  operated  a  skiff  ferry,  rowing  people  across  from  Third  street 
for  a  charge  of  five  cents  each  way.  Even  then  many  people  crossed 
in  their  own  boats,  and  school  children  living  on  the  west  side  rowed 
across  the  river  each  morning  and  back  at  night  in  order  to  attend  the 
school  in  Lower  Saginaw.  Sometimes  the  trip  had  to  be  made  in  very 
stormy  weather,  when  the  big  waves  threatened  to  swamp  the  boat. 

After  the  Drake  mill  was  built,  and  Bangor  and  Salzburg  had 
grown  in  importance,  a  rope  ferry  was  used  at  Third  street,  and  flat 
boat  and  sail  boat  ferries  took  people  to  Bangor  and  Salzburg  and  later 
to  Essexville.  The  rope  ferry  was  a  long  flatboat  with  ends  which 
could  be  let  down  at  the  shore,  making  a  sort  of  gang-plank  or  platform 
over  which  people  and  even  horses  could  pass.  A  large  scow  was  in 
use  part  of  the  time  which  was  large  enough  to  carry  four  teams. 
These  stood  along  the  side,  next  to  the  railing,  while  the  people  occu- 
pied the  cabin  that  extended  the  length  of  the  boat  in  the  center.  A 
wheel  was  fastened  in  a  stanchion  at  each  end  of  the  boat  and  over 
these  passed  the  rope  that  extended  from  bank  to  bank.  It  took  two 
men  to  operate  the  large  ferry.  Sticks  with  notches  in  them  were 
hooked  over  the  rope,  so  that  the  ferrymen  could  give  a  good  pull  and 
immediately  get  a  new  hold  on  the  rope  by  sliding  the  stick  along.  If 
a  number  of  men  were  on  the  ferry,  they  frequently  got  extra  sticks 
and  helped  furnish  the  power  for  moving  the  boat,  sending  it  over  in 


TRANSPORTATION  AND  COMMUNICATION.  127 

record  time.  Rich  Angell  is  said  to  have  been  the  operator  of  the  first 
rope  ferry,  while  Benjamin  Trudell  was  probably  the  best  known  of 
the  ferrymen  on  the  Bangor  route. 

With  the  erection  of  the  Sage  mill  on  the  west  side,  the  ferry 
hecame  far  too  slow  to  accommodate  the  great  numbers  who  wished 
to  cross  the  river.  A  steam  ferry  was  used  for  two  years  until  a  stock 
company  could  erect  a  bridge,  which  was  done  in  1865.  This  bridge, 
a  wooden  structure,  was  the  first  across  the  lower  part  of  the  Saginaw 
river.  Third  street  was  the  natural  place  for  it,  as  the  corner  of  Third 
and  Water  streets  was  the  center  of  the  business  section  of  Bay  City 
at  that  time. 

In  1876  the  wooden  bridge  was  replaced  by  a  steel  one.  While 
this  was  being  done,  a  pontoon  foot  bridge  was  built  by  Zagelmeyer 
Brothers  from  each  bank  to  the  channel  of  the  river,  and  a  rope  ferry 
was  used  to  carry  the  passengers  across  the  gap.  The  old  wooden 
bridge  was  used  to  connect  Twenty-third  street  and  Salzburg  avenue. 
Steam  ferries  had  replaced  the  slower  boats  connecting  Third  street 
with  Salzburg,  Banks  and  Essexville.  A  boat  left  for  those  places 
every  half  hour.  This  was  continued  until  the  street  car  service  was 
extended,  making  the  ferries  unnecessary. 

In  1883,  Bay  County  purchased  the  Third  street  bridge  from  the 
stock  company.  Until  that  date  it  was  a  toll  bridge.  A  charge  of 
three  cents  was  made  for  crossing,  and  this  was  doubled  for  a  two- 
horse  rig.  The  Twenty-third  street  bridge  remained  a  toll  bridge 
until  1886.  The  necessity  of  having  a  bridge  at  Third  street  is  shown 
by  the  money  paid  in  tolls.  For  the  one  year  of  1867,  just  two  years 
after  it  went  into  use,  the  tolls  amounted  to  $10,000. 

It  was  with  the  building  of  the  bridge  that  the  tooting  of  the  boat 
whistles,  from  the  shrillest  to  the  deepest  sounds,  mingled  with  the 
energetic  puffing  of  the  tug  boats,  became,  next  to  the  perpetual  buzz 
of  the  saw  mills,  the  most  characteristic  sound  in  Bay  County.  The 
call  for  an  open  bridge  was  four  long  blasts,  and  these  signals  could 
be  heard  for  miles,  and  at  all  hours  of  the  day.  The  smallest  boy  in 
town  could  tell  when  a  boat  was  coming  up  the  river,  and  from  the 
sound  of  the  whistle  he  could  usually  tell  what  kind  of  a  boat  it  was — 
perhaps  even  give  its  name. 

COUNTY  ROADS. 

Some  of  the  first  roads  that  were  built  were  along  the  sand  ridges 
where  the  wagons  would  escape  the  bogs  and  swamps  (such  were  the 
old  State  Road,  leading  north  through  Kawkawlin  and  Pinconning  and 
on  into  Arenac  County,  and  "Ridge  Road,"  which  extends  from  the  end 


128        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

of  Columbus  avenue  eastward  past  the  cemeteries),  others  were  dirt 
roads  with  long  stretches  of  the  rough  corduroy  road  through  the 
swampy  places.  Bay  County  is  very  level,  and  it  must  be  remembered 
that  there  was  very  little  drainage  at  that  time.  It  is  said  that  up  to 
1860  and  even  later,  Bay  County,  including  the  land  within  the  present 
city,  was  a  veritable  mud-hole.  It  was  either  deep  sand  or  deeper  mud. 
Travel  with  horse  and  wagon  or  other  vehicle  was  at  best  difficult,  and 
during  the  spring  or  other  wet  periods  the  roads  were  practically  im- 
passable. 

This  lack  of  usable  roads  was  not  limited  to  Bay  County,  and  the 
state  legislature  made  provision  for  assisting  private  companies  in 
building  good  roads.  In  1859,  General  B.  F.  Partridge,  who  was  inter- 
ested in  farming  in  Bay  County,  organized  a  company  with  such  men 
as  James  Fraser  and  William  McEwan,  and  the  Tuscola  plank  road, 
the  first  improved  road  in  Bay  County,  was  started.  In  1860  it  was 
completed  to  Blumfield  Junction — a  distance  of  about  twelve  miles — 
where  the  route  to  Saginaw  left  the  Tuscola  road.  Being  the  main 
road  to  Saginaw,  and  as  it  was  built  seven  years  before  any  railroad 
reached  Bay  City,  this  was  an  important  route  of  travel.  People  had 
to  pay  toll  for  the  use  of  the  road,  the  amount  of  toll  depending  on  the 
number  of  horses  and  on  the  number  of  miles  over  which  the  road  was 
traveled.  The  old  toll  gate  through  which  the  people  from  this  end 
had  to  pass  was  located  where  the  Tuscola  road  joins  with  Trumbull 
street. 

The  first  plank  road  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  was  Midland 
road.  Mr.  Chilson  insisted  that  it  should  be  built  directly  west  from 
Midland  street  on  a  quarter  instead  of  on  the  usual  half  section  line. 
He  foresaw  that  the  main  route  of  travel  west  to  Midland  from  Wenona 
would  be  along  that  line.  He  surveyed  the  road,  and  by  1886  ten  and 
one-half  miles  of  it  had  been  completed.  Soon  there  were  several 
plank  roads  leading  for  short  distances  into  the  country,  and  in  1875 
a  third  main  road  was  being  planked,  the  Kawkawlin.  (6)  The  im- 
portant farms  of  the  time  were  located  along  these  plank  roads,  as 
they  made  it  so  much  easier  to  get  the  produce  to  market  in  the  city. 
The  roads  also  helped  communication  and  travel  between  the  towns 
near  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  those  located  farther  inland.  In  1865 
there  was  a  daily  stage  between  Bay  City  and  East  Saginaw  by  way 
of  Tuscola  road  and  Blumfield  Junction.  At  this  same  time,  during 
the  close  of  navigation  in  the  winter  months,  a  stage  left  Bay  City 
every  morning  over  the  sandy  State  road  for  Alpena,  calling  at  the 
intermediate  places  on  the  way.  (7) 


(6)  Bay  County  Directory,  1S75,  Dow,  page  72. 

(7)  Directory  of  Bay  City,  1868-9,  pages  15  and  78. 


TRANSPORTATION  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


129 


The  present  system  of  macadamized  (stone)  roads  was  planned 
in  1882  (8),  when  the  county  borrowed  $100,000  for  the  purpose  by 
selhng  bonds.  Work  was  actually  started  the  next  year,  and  by  1887 
there  were  twenty-five  miles  of  these  excellent  roads  reaching  in  all 
directions  from  the  city  into  the  rich  farm  lands.  (9)  This  plan  for 
better  roads,  started  thirty-five  years  ago,  is  still  being  followed,  sev- 
eral miles  of  the  road  having  been  built  during  the  past  summer,  while 
several  more  miles  have  been  graded  preparatory  to  putting  in  the 
stone.  A  new  road  bed  of  concrete,  that  is  smoother  and  intended  to 
be  more  permanent  than  the  stone  road,  is  now  being  tested  on  the 
Kawkawlin  road. 

CITY  STREETS. 

The  city  streets  that  were  used  the  most  were  first  improved  by 
the  use  of  planks,  which  were  so  plentiful  and  cheap  in  those  years. 
Washington  avenue,  Columbus  avenue  and  other  main  streets  were  at 
one  time  planked. 

The  first  street  to  be  paved  was  Water,  the  main  street  at  the 
time,  from  Third  to  Sixth.  Pine  was  so  plentiful  that  it  was  natural 
that  it  should  be  used  for  the  first  pavement.  This  was  the  Nicholson 
system.  "It  was  made  of  tarred  pine  blocks,  cut  square.  These  were 
laid  upon  two  thicknesses  of  tarred  boards,  with  a  stringer  between 
each  tier  of  blocks.  The  crevices  were  filled  with  gravel  and  the  whole 
surface  covered  with  tar."  (10)  Evidently  this  did  not  prove  satis- 
factory, for  the  only  other  pavement  laid  in  this  way  was  the  west  end 
of  Center,  laid  about  the  same  time,  1867.  The  next  experiment  was 
on  Center  street,  completing  it  as  far  out  as  Johnson.  Irregular  pine 
blocks  were  used,  making  what  was  called  the  McGonegal  pavement. 
There  is  no  record  of  any  other  street  being  paved  in  this  way. 

The  next  system  tried  was  the 
Wyckoff  patent,  which,  with 
some  important  changes,  was 
used  until  wood  pavements 
were  discarded.  By  1876  the 
city  had  paved  Third  from 
Water  to  Johnson  street,  and 
a  few  blocks  in  the  business 
section,  with  this  patent  pave- 
ment. They  were  made  from 
cedar  blocks  cut  right  from 
the  logs  after  the  bark  had 
been  removed.     These   blocks 

Notice  that  there  is  no  car  track.     An  old  style  of  all  sizeS  WCrC  laid  On  planks 
gas    street  lamp   is   just  visible   in   the  . 

lower  left  hand  corner.  and  wcre  filled  m  and  covered 


Center  Avenue  in  1875. 


(8)  Chamber  of  Commerce  Bulletin,  1882. 

(9)  Bay  City  Tribune,  Special  Edition,  November,   1887.  page  IS. 

(10)  Bay  City  Tribune,  Special  Edition.  November,   1887,  page  IS. 


130        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

with  tar  and  gravel.  The  blocks  were  cut  in  the  city  at  some  side-track 
or  switch,  as  the  logs  were  taken  from  the  train,  and  were  hauled 
directly  to  the  place  where  the  paving  was  being  done.  After  some 
experimenting  it  was  found  best  to  discontinue  the  use  of  tar  alto- 
gether. In  the  later  pavements  the  gutters,  for  a  width  of  six  or  eight 
feet,  were  paved  with  cobblestones.  By  1887  there  were  eleven  miles 
of  these  wooden  pavements  in  addition  to  miles  of  planked  streets. 
These  improvements  were  necessary  in  Bay  City  on  account  of  the  level 
surface,  which  made  drainage  rather  slow  and  mud  very  deep  in  wet 
weather.  But  when  the  improvements  were  made,  our  streets  and  the 
country  roads  as  well  were  remarkably  good.  The  very  level  condi- 
tion which  had  made  them  impassable  at  times  before  they  were  im- 
proved, was  now  a  decided  advantage,  for  much  heavier  loads  can  be 
hauled  on  them  than  can  be  hauled  in  hilly  places.  The  general  plan 
of  having  the  streets  run  at  right  angles  to  each  other — in  north  and 
south,  and  east  and  west  directions — has  also  proved  valuable,  since 
it  is  much  easier  to  locate  places  in  the  city,  to  number  the  streets 
with  a  definite  system,  and  to  extend  the  streets  as  additions  to  the 
city  are  made. 

Almost  all  of  the  streets  had  board  walks,  there  being  thirty 
miles  of  them  in  1881.  These  walks,  like  the  pavements,  show  the 
influence  of  the  lumber  industry.  Great  two-inch  planks,  a  foot  wide 
and  ten  or  twelve  feet  long — planks  that  would  be  far  too  valuable 
for  such  use  today — were  used  until  lumber  became  more  scarce  and 
expensive.  These  were  gradually  replaced  with  walks  made  of  nar- 
rower boards  laid  crosswise.  Today  almost  the  very  last  of  these  have 
disappeared,  the  permanent  cement  walks  having  taken  their  places. 
In  like  manner  brick,  asphalt  and  other  hard  pavements  have  almost 
entirely  replaced  the  cedar  block  pavements.  Lincoln  avenue  is  the 
most  recent  example  of  this  change,  while  the  blocks  still  remain  in 
Adams  street  south  of  McKinley  avenue. 

Although  the  wooden  walks  were  valuable,  probably  a  necessity, 
in  their  time,  they  were  also  the  cause  of  much  trouble.  The  boards 
would  in  time  warp,  work  loose,  and  unexpectedly  fly  up  when  some- 
one stepped  on  one  of  the  loose  ends.  This  was  liable  to  trip  and  in- 
jure someone  else  who  happened  to  be  passing.  Other  serious  injuries 
were  sustained  by  persons  stepping  through  holes  that  had  worn  in 
the  walks.  As  a  result,  the  city  has  had  many  damage  suits  and  has 
had  to  pay  out  large  sums  of  money  as  damages  to  those  injured.  (11) 


(11)  For  facts  regarding  the  pavements  and  sidewalks,  see  Bay  City  Tribune, 
November,  1887,  page,  18;  Bay  City  Tribune,  1875;  Dow,  page  31;  and  Board  of  Com- 
merce Bulletin  for  1882,  page  4. 


TRANSPORTATION  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


131 


feAllfcW#iW 


Advertisement  Used  in  1866  (12) 


RAILROADS. 

The  great  event  in  the  history  of  transportation  in  Bay  County 
was  the  coming  of  the  railroads.  Strangely  enough  this  center  of 
population  had  to  depend  on  the  water  routes  for  practicallly  all 

transportation    for 


thirty  years  after  the 
first  villages  were 
started.  This  meant, 
as  we  have  already 
seen,  that  during  the 
winter,  even  after  the 
Civil  War  period,  Bay 
City  was  cut  off  from 
the  rest  of  the  coun- 
try. The  lakes  were 
closed  to  boats  by 
"King  Winter,"  and 
travel  through  the  swamps  to  Saginaw  in  winter  was  very  difficult. 

But  when  the  railroad  did  finally  reach  this  growing  lumbering 
community,  it  came  on  both  sides  of  the  river  at  the  same  time.  In 
January,  1867,  the  first  train  on  the  Jackson,  Lansing  &  Saginaw 
railroad,  now  the  Michigan  Central,  came  from  Jackson.  This  gave 
the  new  town  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  Wenona,  connections  with 
Chicago  and  all  places  in  that  direction.  H.  W.  Sage  and  C.  C.  Fitz- 
hugh  were  instrumental  in  getting  the  line  extended  from  Saginaw. 

The  first  train  into  what  was  then  Bay  City,  the  northern  part  of 
the  east  side,  was  from  East  Saginaw  over  the  Flint  &  Pere  Marquette, 
which  connected  Bay  County  with  Detroit  and  places  to  the  south  and 
east.  As  in  the  case  of  many  other  important  enterprises  that  were 
begun  in  the  sixties,  the  original  group  of  pioneers  aided  in  bringing 
this  improvement. 

The  coming  of  the  railroads  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  was  delayed 
on  account  of  the  swamps.  It  was  uncertain  whether  a  railroad 
through  the  swamp  could  be  made  a  success.  The  most  difficult  one 
of  the  two  to  build  was  the  Flint  &  Pere  Marquette.  A.  S.  Munger 
was  given  charge  of  the  engineering  and  construction  work  and  solved 
the  problem  by  dredging  a  canal  along  the  route,  throwing  the  clay 
subsoil  into  an  embankment.  "It  was  triumph  of  engineering  skill, 
being  built  for  some  way  on  a  swamp,  and  yet  as  firmly  as  any  of  Mc- 


(12)      Sag-inaw  Valley  Directory  for  1866-7,  page  61. 


132 


BAY     COUNTY,     PAST     AND     PRESENT. 


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TRANSPORTATION  AND  COMMUNICATION.  133 

Adam's  (macadam)  highways."  (13)  At  the  banquet  celebrating  the 
completion  of  the  important  project,  Mr.  Hunger  was  presented  with 
a  $350  gold  watch  and  chain  to  show  that  his  skillful  efforts  were  ap- 
preciated. (14) 

The  Michigan  Central  in  1871  bought  the  Jackson,  Lansing  & 
Saginaw  road  and  soon  planned  to  extend  its  lines  into  other  parts  of 
this  productive  region  of  pine  and  agricultural  lands.  In  1873  it  gave 
our  city  direct  connection  with  Detroit  by  a  road  to  Vassar  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river.  In  this  same  year  it  built  its  railroad  bridge  in  order 
to  connect  the  Detroit  and  the  Jackson  roads,  and  it  also  began  ex- 
tending its  line  northward  to  Mackinaw.  This  was  completed  in  1876. 
There  had  long  been  plans  for  building  a  road  to  Midland.  In  fact, 
the  road  bed  had  been  graded  part  of  the  way  and  then  was  abandon- 
ed. (15)     The  Michigan  Central  completed  this  project  in  1888. 

The  coming  of  the  railroads  marked  a  change  in  the  commerce  of 
Bay  City.  Now,  the  lumber  and  salt  were  distributed  by  rail  through- 
out inland  Michigan  to  the  west  and  south,  while  before  that  they  were 
limited  by  being  forced  to  follow  the  water  routes  alone.  "As  an  in- 
stance of  the  benefit  of  the  railroads,  it  is  remarkable  that  the  open- 
ing of  the  two  railroads  leading  into  the  city  has  given  such  an  impulse 
to  the  fish  trade,  that  at  present  (1869)  it  is  absolutely  impossible  to 
predict  the  result.  Fish  depots  are  opening  in  every  city  in  the  state 
through  which  these  roads  pass."  (16) 

Besides  being  an  aid  in  distributing  our  products,  they  also  en- 
abled supplies  from  the  interior  to  be  brought  in  much  more  cheaply 
than  before.  And  now  it  was  becoming  necessary  to  bring  logs  to  the 
saw  mills  by  rail.  The  timber  along  the  streams  was  soon  cut  and 
each  year  the  lumbermen  had  to  go  farther  inland.  For  this  purpose 
short  spurs  or  branches  of  the  railroads  were  soon  built  in  all  direc- 
tions in  Bay  County  and  in  other  counties  to  the  north  and  west. 

THE  STREET  RAILWAY. 

The  existence  of  two  important  centers  of  population.  Bay  City 
and  Portsmouth,  on  the  same  side  of  the  river  and  but  two  miles  apart, 
gave  this  city  an  early  start  in  street  railway  transportation.  There 
were  men  living  in  each  of  these  villages  whose  places  of  business 
were  in  the  other  village.  There  were  mills  along  the  river  bank  be- 
tween the  two  places,  and  the  workmen  needed  some  means  of  trans- 


(13)  Bay  City  Directory  for  1S6S-9,  page  70. 

(14)  Bay  County  History,  Gansser,  page  234. 

(15)  Bay  City  Tribune,  November,  1887. 

(16)  Bay  City  Directory  for  1S6S-9,  page  41. 


134        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

portation  to  and  from  their  work,  especially  in  bad  weather.  The 
road  was  completed  in  1865.  James  Fraser,  William  McEwan,  George 
Campbell,  and  N.  B.  Bradley  were  directors  in  the  company  that  built 
and  operated  the  road.  The  road  proved  to  be  a  great  improvement, 
for  this  car  line,  two  and  three-eighths  miles  long,  had  horse  cars 
leaving  each  end  of  the  line  "every  half  hour,  from  6:30  a.  m.  until 
10  p.  m.  Fare  only  seven  cents."  (17)  In  1874  the  line  was  extended 
north  to  the  mills  nearest  the  mouth  of  the  river,  about  to  the  water- 
works, a  distance  of  nearly  two  miles  from  Third  street.  It  was  also 
extended  south  to  the  McGraw  mill.  The  line  was  now  used  during 
the  night  by  a  little  dummy  steam  engine  for  transferring  lumber  and 
other  freight  for  the  many  mills  located  near  it  on  the  river  bank. 
The  work  of  transferring  people  in  parts  of  the  city  not  on  the  car  line 
was  done  by  bus  lines.  There  was  one  such  line  between  Bay  City  and 
Wenona,  and  also  one  connecting  Bay  City  and  Portsmouth  along 
Washington,  Bowery  (Garfield),  and  Broadway  streets. 

In  1885  the  horse  car  line  was  extended  to  Essexville,  and  the 
next  year  a  double  track  was  laid  out  Center  avenue  to  Trumbull 
street.  This  was  a  few  years  later  extended  out  to  the  Michigan  Cen- 
tral railroad  crossing.  Also  in  1886  the  Water  street  line  to  Ports- 
mouth was  abandoned  to  the  railroads,  the  horse  cars  going  south,  as 
now,  along  the  route  of  the  former  bus  line  just  mentioned.  No  horse 
cars  were  used  on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 

The  barns  for  the  care  of  the  horses  and  cars  were  first  located  at 
the  north  end  of  the  Bay  City-Portsmouth  line  at  Third  street,  but 
later,  in  1882,  one  of  the  largest  car  barns  in  the  state  was  erected 
back  of  the  Astor  House  in  Portsmouth.  When  the  Essexville-Center 
avenue  line  was  started  in  1886,  a  large  barn  was  erected  at  Center 
and  Trumbull  streets. 

At  each  end  of  the  car  lines  there  was  a  large  turntable.    The  car 

was  driven  onto  this.    Then  the   horse  would  turn   the   car   around, 

ready  for  the  return  trip.    Before  the  turntable  was  used,  the  driver 

had  to  unhitch  his  horse  and  drive  it  around  to  the  other  end  of  the 

car. 

ELECTRIC  LINES. 

The  first  electric  line  in  the  county  was  in  West  Bay  City  (1887) 
and  was  the  result  of  the  efforts  of  S.  0.  Fisher.  The  line  extended 
to  Patterson  avenue  in  Banks,  but  it  was  not  allowed  to  cross  the  Third 
street  bridge,  so  the  cars  were  operated  by  electricity  to  the  bridge  and 
then  were  drawn  across  the  river  by  horses,  connecting  with  the  Bay 


(17)      Directory  of  Bay  City  for  1S6S-9,  page  74. 


TRANSPORTATION  AND  COMMUNICATION.  135 

City  line.  Soon,  however,  Bay  City  followed  the  example  of  her  neigh- 
bor and  instituted  the  electric  system,  and  the  two  lines  were  connected 
over  the  river. 

In  1895  the  first  interurban  line  connecting  Bay  City  and  Saginaw 
was  completed.  Like  the  railroads,  there  was  considerable  difficulty 
in  building  the  roadbed  through  the  swamps.  The  importance  of  in- 
terurban lines  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  trip  from  one  city  to  the  other 
can  be  made  at  almost  any  hour  of  the  day,  with  the  possibility  of  re- 
turning promptly  when  business  is  transacted.  In  this  way  a  great 
deal  of  valuable  time  is  saved.  In  addition  to  this,  the  interurban  fur- 
nishes transportation  for  many  employees  along  its  route  that  cannot 
be  given  by  the  steam  road. 

COMMUNICATION— POSTAL  SERVICE. 

The  postal  system  of  the  United  States  forms  one  of  the  most 
important  means  of  communication,  but  its  development  in  a  given 
region  depends  largely  on  improvements  in  roads,  streets  and  rail- 
roads. The  first  post  office  established  in  Bay  County  was  at  Ports- 
mouth. Judge  Albert  Miller  was  the  first  postmaster,  receiving  his 
commission  on  condition  that  mail  be  carried  between  Bay  City  and 
Saginaw  at  least  once  a  week.  The  money  paid  for  sending  mail  from 
here  to  other  places  was  used  to  pay  the  postmaster  for  his  services. 
Judge  Miller  did  not  remain  in  Portsmouth  at  that  time,  and  the  office 
was  discontinued  the  next  year  and  was  not  re-established  until  1857. 

An  office  was  opened  at  Lower  Saginaw,  or  "Hampton,"  as  it  was 
called,  in  1846,  and  Thomas  Rogers  was  made  its  first  postmaster. 
In  regard  to  this  office  it  was  said :  "The  mail  was  carried  by  a 
pedestrian  who  started  for  Saginaw  when  the  postage  collected 
amounted  to  a  day's  work ;  he  returned  the  same  day — bringing  along 
the  written  accumulations  at  the  other  end.  He  sometimes  went  in  a 
canoe  and  sometimes  he  didn't.  The  postage  to  that  city  was  twenty- 
five  cents.  A  letter  took  ten  days  to  get  to  Detroit  in  this  way,  and  an 
answer  might  be  looked  for  in  three  weeks."  (18)  Here  again  we  find 
the  low  swampy  land  between  here  and  Saginaw  proving  a  serious  ob- 
stacle, and  in  stormy  weather  in  winter  the  mail  carrier  had  many  a 
trip  in  which  he  suffered  from  exposure  and  encountered  many  dan- 
gers. "Jesse  M.  Miller  and  C.  D.  Fisher  used  to  start  on  horseback  for 
Saginaw  when  the  ice  was  not  strong  enough  to  bear  them  in  safety, 
and  after  going  a  short  distance  to  a  squatter's  cabin,  would  be  obliged 
to  leave  their  ponies  and  proceed  on  foot,  wading  sometimes  to  their 
knees  in  the  half  frozen  marsh.    A  dog-train  used   to  make  the  trip 


(18)      Bay  City  Directory  for  1868-9,  page  9. 


136 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


from  here  to  Mackinaw  once  a  month,  traveling  on  the  ice.  A  half- 
breed  had  three  gaily  decorated  dogs  hitched  to  a  sleigh,  in  which  were 
loaded  the  mail  bags.  This  train  was  operated  up  to  1859  or  1860." 
(19) 


The  Post  Office. 

The  postoffice  was  first  locat^ed  on  Center  street.  There  were  a 
number  of  other  places  used  for  that  purpose  before  it  was  finally 
given  a  home  in  the  new  government  building  in  December,  1893,  at  a 
cost  of  $200,000.  This  furnished  the  office  with  room  in  which  it 
could  expand  with  the  increasing  business  of  the  city.  Free  delivery 
in  Bay  City,  another  indication  of  real  progress,  was  allowed  by  the 
government  in  1881,  when  the  streets  were  numbered  and  other 
preparations  made  for  the  service.  The  first  delivery  was  made 
December  1,  1882.  Rural  free  delivery,  a  wonderful  and  much  needed 
help  to  the  farmer,  was  begun  by  the  government  in  1900. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  county,  from  1865  on,  is  indicated  by 
the  fact  that  postoffices  were  established  in  the  various  villages  be- 
tween that  date  and  1872.  In  1865,  Banks  and  Wenona  were  given 
offices ;  in  1868,  Salzburg  and  Kawkawlin ;  and  in  1872,  Essexville  and 
Pinconning. 


(19)      Bay  Citj^  Tribune,  November,  1SS7. 


TRANSPORTATION  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


137 


TELEGRAPH  AND  TELEPHONE. 

The  other  chief  means  of  communication  today  are  the  telegraph 
and  telephone.  The  Western  Union  Telegraph  connected  Bay  City 
with  the  rest  of  the  world  in  1863,  at  a  time  when  other  means  of  com- 
munication were  slow  and  uncertain,  and  with  it  came  that  other  great 
private  aid  to  commerce,  the  express  company.  The  telephone  ex- 
change was  opened  here  in  1879.  This  made  necessary  a  complete 
change  in  local  trade  and  business  methods. 

REFERENCES. 

See  references  for  Chapter  XVII. 
Files  of  old  newspapers  in  tlie  libraries. 
Chamlber  of  Commerce  Bulletin  for  1882. 
History  of  tlie  Great  Lakes,  two  volumes. 


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PERIOD     OF     TRANSITION.  13  9 

Chapter  XXI. 

INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT— PERIOD  OF  TRANSITION. 

URING  the  thirty  years  from  1860  to  1890,  Bay  City  and  the 
neighboring  towns  were  decidedly  "booming"  towns.  The 
population  of  Bay  County  increased  by  great  leaps.  Its  first 
census  was  taken  in  1860,  showing  that  there  were  3,164  people. 
In  1870  there  were  15,900 ;  in  1880,   38,081 ;   and  by   1890,  in 


spite  of  the  loss  of  Arenac  County,  which  was  taken  from  Bay  County 
during  that  decade,  there  were  56,412  people.  (1)  During  this  same 
time,  the  prosperity  of  the  city  depended  in  large  measure  on  the 
lumbering  industry.  If  logs  were  scarce  in  a  given  season,  business 
was  rather  dull ;  if  logs  were  plentiful,  business  was  bright  and  ac- 
tive. 

It  is  not  surprising  then  that  this  "boom"  had  an  end.  Logs  be- 
came scarce.  They  had  to  be  brought  by  rail  and  water  from  ever- 
increasing  distances,  and  this  increased  the  cost  of  operating  the  mills. 
It  finally  became  necessary  to  go  to  northern  Michigan  and  to  Georgian 
Bay  in  Canada  for  logs.  The  large  lake  tugs  now  brought  the  logs 
across  the  lake  in  immense  rafts.  But  about  1894  the  Canadian  gov- 
ernment placed  an  export  tax  on  all  logs  shipped  from  Canada.  (2) 

This  made  the  cost  of  the  Canadian  logs  so  great  that  they  could 
not  be  brought  here  to  be  manufactured  into  lumber  by  our  saw  mills. 
The  lumber  manufacturers  either  had  to  dismantle  their  mills  here 
and  move  them  to  Canada,  or  else  depend  entirely  on  northern 
Michigan  for  logs. 

Many  of  the  saw  mill  owners  chose  the  first  plan  and  moved  their 
mills  to  Georgian  Bay.  Some  of  the  factories  that  were  closely  allied 
to  the  lumbering  industry  also  moved  away.  The  manufacture  of  salt 
declined  rapidly.  It  was  particularly  dependent  on  the  saw  mills 
during  this  period  because  of  the  fact  that  the  selling  price  of  salt, 
which  in  1861  had  been  $1.40  per  barrel,  was  now  only  half  that,  while 
the  cost  had  remained  at  about  60c  per  barrel.  (3)  The  building  of 
wooden  ships  was  declining.  There  was  not  only  a  lack  of  material  in 
this  region,  but  the  steel  boats  were  replacing  the  wooden  ones.  Steel 
boats -could  be  built  in  other  places  to  better  advantage,  and  so  in  1905 
the  American  Shipyard  was  dismantled,  throwing  a  great  many  men 
out  of  work.  Even  fishing  was  not  so  profitable  as  it  had  been,  because 
the  fish  had  been  taken  from  the  neighboring  waters  in  too  great  num- 
bers.   The  great  sturgeon,  for  instance,  is  seldom  caught  now. 


(1)  Gansser,  page  114. 

(2)  Gansser,  page  193. 

(3)  Gansser,  pages  222  and  223. 


140        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


W.  H.  Nickless  Box  Factory. 

This  decline  in  these  industries  is  continuing  today.  The  great 
woodenware  factory,  at  one  time  the  largest  in  the  world,  has  found 
it  increasingly  difficult  to  get  the  raw  material  for  the  pails  and  tubs 
and  has  decided  to  close  its  doors.  The  saw  mills  that  remain  and  are 
still  cutting  millions  of  feet  of  lumber  from  the  logs  each  year,  can- 
count  the  years  to  the  time  when  they  will  have  to  stop  their  work.  It 
is  not  strange  that  the  city  did  not  grow  in  population  between  1890 
and  1900.  The  surprising  thing  is  that  the  setback  to  this  region  was 
not  fatal,  as  it  has  been  in  many  places.  In  1890  the  population  of  Bay 
County  was  56,412  and  in  1900  it  was  62,312.  The  slight  increase 
shown  was  in  the  country  districts,  for  in  Bay  City  during  those  ten 
years  the  census  takers  found  an  actual  loss  of  211.  Laborers  had 
gone  with  the  mills  or  had  gone  elsewhere  to  seek  work. 

But  our  location  and  natural  advantages,  combined  with  the  start 
we  already  had  in  other  industries,  were  too  important  to  allow  the 
place  to  remain  very  long  at  a  standstill.  In  the  past  thirty  years  Bay 
City  has  changed  from  a  booming  city  or  community  dependent  on  a 
single  great  industry  for  its  prosperity  and  growth,  to  a  city  of  greatly 
varied  industries,  but  with  a  steady  and  healthy  growth.  Many  of  the 
factories  that  had  started  making  finished  products  from  the  lumber 
have  continued  their  work.  There  are  a  number  of  mills  planing  the 
rough  lumber  and  manufacturing  house  finishing  material,  as  they 
were  before  the  change.  The  Michigan  Pipe  Works  imports  material 
for  its  staves  from  Canada  and  still  does  a  business  of  about  half  a 
million  dollars  a  year.  Lumber  for  many  other  mills  is  brought  by  the 
boat  load  from  Canada  and  the  northern  ports  of  the  Great  Lakes. 


PERIOD     OF     TRANSITION. 


14.1 


(4) .  Men  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  saw  mill  industry  turned  to 
this  other  branch  of  the  work — making  the  lumber  into  finished 
products.  Here  was  machinery  for  use  with  wood,  and  here  was  labor 
that  was  familiar  with  that  machinery  and  also  with  the  handling  of 
lumber  of  all  kinds  and  quality.  In  addition  to  manufacturing  boxes, 
window  frames,  shingles,  sashes,  siding,  veneer,  etc.,  there  are  now 
several  factories  for  making  hardwood  flooring — the  largest  one  in 
the  world  being  that  of  the  W.  D.  Young  Company  in  Salzburg. 
Houses,  complete  in  every  detail,  with  every  piece  marked  ready  for 
erection,  are  made  by  firms  doing  an  immense  business.  Boats,  excel- 
lent though  small,  are  still  built  here,  and  the  large  ones  are  brought 
here  for  extensive  repairs  in  the  Davidson  Dry  Dock.  Furniture  and 
automobile  bodies  are  some  of  the  most  recent  additions  to  the  list. 

The  iron  and  steel  industry  has  developed  into  large  proportions. 
It  is  led  by  the  Industrial  Works,  and  includes  the  manufacture  of 
boilers,  gasoline  engines,  go-carts,  electrical  machinery,  powerful 
cranes  and  many  other  products. 

Many  of  our  fac- 
tories use  farm 
products.  Beans  are 
cleaned  for  use ; 
vegetables  and 
fruits  are  canned ; 
grains  are  ground 
into  flour;  peanuts 
are  roasted  and  salt- 
ed, or  are  made  into 
peanut  butter;  chic- 
ory is  made  into  a 
substitute  for  cof- 
fee, and  the  sugar 
beet,  undergoing 
probably  the  greatest  change  of  any,  is  made  into  sugar,  molasses,  cat- 
tle feed  and  alcohol.  The  Michigan  Sugar  Company  erected  its  fac- 
tory in  Essexville  in  1898.  It  was  the  first  in  Michigan.  The  farm 
animals  furnish  milk  and  cream  for  the  creameries  and  meat  for  the 
packing  company. 

Mineral  materials  are  used  in  great  quantities  by  the  chemical 
factories,  salt  works,  and  powder  factory.  There  are  still  other  kinds 
of  manufacturing  that  are  rather  hard  to  group,   they  are  so  varied. 


Sugar  Factory  and  Beet  Field. 


(4)      During  the  season  of  navigation  the  daily  paper  reports  the  arrival  of  these 
boats  giving  their  cargoes  and  the  ports  from  which  they  have  come. 


142 


BAY     COUNTY,     PAST     AND     PRESENT. 


PERIOD     OF     TRANSITION. 


143 


Fire  Eoom — North  American  Chemical  Co.  (8) 

(6)  General  View — Efficiency  Firing-  Metliods. — No.  1 — Crane  unloading  coal  into 
bin  at  No.  2.  No.  3  is  incline  up  which  the  coal  is  carried  on  a  belt  or  conveyor.  No.  4 
— Fire  room.  No.  5 — Trestle  over  which  cars  of  ashes  run  to  No.  6  where  the  ashes 
are  dropped  into  'a  bin  and  from  that  into  the  wagon  which  carries  them  to  the  road. 
There  is  no  handling  of  coal  or  ashes  by  hand  shovels  from  the  time  the  coal  is  mined 
until  the  ashes  from  that  coal  are  used  to  improve  a  roadwaJ^ 

(7)  Engine  Room  (upper  right  hand  corner.) — No.  1  is  the  turbine  engine  which 
receives  the  steam  from  the  boilers  and  owing  to  the  high  pressure  of  the  steam, 
rotates  3600  times  per  minute.  The  engine  shaft  extends  through  and  is  coupled  to 
the  Turbo  Generator  (No.  2)  shaft,  causing  it  to  make  the  same  number  of  revolu- 
tions. This  g-enerates  electricity  of  alternating-  current.  This  alternating  current  is 
transmitted  (or  carried)  by  copper  cables  to  the  rotary  converters  (Nos.  3  and  4.) 
These  converters  change  the  current  from  alternating  to  a  direct  current — that  is 
the  current  flows  out  of  these  last  two  machines  in  a  continuous  stream  in  one  direc- 
tion, not  alternating  first  in  one  direction  and  then  reversing  to  the  opposite  direc- 
tion as  in  the  case  of  the  Turbo  Generator. 


(8)      Fire  Room. 

No.  1.  Chutes  down  which  the  coal  is  dropped  from  the  conveyor  which  is  over- 
head. No.  9.  Automatic  coal  stoker  which  pushes  the  coal  under  (not  on  top  of)  tlie 
fire.  The  g-ases  apd  smoke  are  more  completely  burned  by  the  "underfeed"  method. 
The  ashes  drop  through  the  grates  into  a  bin  from  which  they  are  dumped  into  the 
ash  car  mentioned  in  the  description  of  the  general  view. 

Nos.  2  and  3  are  steam  meters,  measuring  the  steam  leaving  the  boilers. 

Nos.  4  and  5  are  pressure  gauges. 

No.  6  measures  the  furnace  gas  (C02). 

Nos.  7  and  S  are  draft  gauges  regulating  the  pressure  of  air  under  the  boilers  and 
the  chimney  draft. 


144 


BAY     COU^TY,     PAST     AND     PRESENT. 


Bay  City  Dry  Dock  (5) 


PERIOD     OF     TRANSITION. 


145 


Unloading  Sugar  Beets. 

Fish  are  still  packed  in  ice  for  shipment  to  eastern  and  southern  points. 
Cement  building  blocks  of  extra  good  quality  are  made.  Coal  is  turned 
into  gas  and  coke.  The  textile  industry  is  represented  in  the  knitting 
mills,  which  are  very  large  and  are  soon  to  be  made  much  larger.  Even 
the  bay  water  is  distilled  and  bottled  for  drinking  purposes,  or  is  made 
into  artificial  ice. 

Those  conditions  which  had  to  do  with  the  rapid  development  of 
Bay  County  from  1850  to  1890  have  little  to  do  with  our  present  de- 
velopment, except  as  their  influence  has  held  over.  The  timber  has  dis- 
appeared, and  our  location  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  is  of  little  im- 
portance now,  for  the  river  is  not  used  as  it  was  in  the  early  days. 

What  are  the  influences  leading  to  our  present  healthy  growth  as 
a  manufacturing  center?    There  are  several: 

1.  Excellent  transportation  facilities. — These  had  largely  de- 
veloped before  the  decline  of  lumbering.    We  have  rail  connections 


(5)  The  particulars  of  the  Bay  City  Dry  Dock,  briefly  stated,  are  as  follows: 
Length,  400  ft.:  extreme  width  at  gate,  top,  60  ft.;  bottom,  55  ft.  The  width  of  the 
dock  from  coping-  to  coping  is  95  ft.  The  depth  of  "water  over  sill  Is  14  ft.  to  15  ft.  10 
in.,  according  to  the  depth  of  water  In  the  river.  With  the  water  at  a  depth  of  14  ft. 
the  dock  contains  3,539.100  gallons  of  water.  When  the  gate  Is  closed  the  water  is  re- 
moved by  two  centrifugal  pumps  that  have  a  capacity  of  22,000  gallons  of  water  each 
per  minute  and  it.  takes  us  a  little  less  than  two  hours  to  pump  out  the  dock.  The 
dock  is  filled  by  opening  four  large  gate  valves,  and  it  requires  about  one  and  one- 
half  hours  to  flood  the  dock.  These  gate  valves  are  situated  in  the  gate  which  is 
known  as  a  pontoon  gate — it  floats  like  a  boat.  It  also  has  valves  by  which  water  is 
admitted  to  the  gate  so  that  it  can  settle  and  come  to  place  as  desired.  The  centrifu- 
gal pumps  are  operated  by  means  of  a  clutch,  so  that  either  one  or  both  of  the  pumps 
can  be  operated  at  the  same  time.  These  get  their  power  from  a  Corliss  engine, 
which  has  275  indicated  horse  power.  We  also  have  a  drainage  or  suction  pump 
which  will  remove  275  gallons  of  water  per  minute,  this  for  drainage  purposes  only 
and  to  save  running  the  big  pumps  to  remove  a  small  amount  of  water.  Our  dry  dock 
1."  busy  all  of  the  time  repairing  and  rebuilding  ships.  With  the  dry  dock  of  course 
we  have  complete  saw  mills,  planing  mills  and  other  appliances  for  the  economical 
repairing  and  rebuilding  of  boats.  JAMES  E.   DAVIDSON. 


146 


BAY     COUNTY,     PAST     AND     PRESENT. 


W~^,      ¥ 


iVr"  _    _-^-  ^i 


PERIOD     OF     TRANSITION, 


147 


T.  F.  Marston's  Jersey  Cattle. 

with  cities  and  towns  in  all  directions,  and  the  other  means  of  trans- 
portation and  communication,  the  beginnings  of  which  we  have  seen 
in  chapter  XX,  have  continued  to  develop.  Belt  lines — ^the  Pere  Mar- 
quette and  Michigan  Central  railroads — extend  from  the  south  end  of 
the  city  to  Essexville,  furnishing  excellent  sites  for  factories ;  and 
there  is  now  an  electric  line  through  to  Detroit. 

2.  Labor. — The  workmen  skilled  in  handling  wood  materials 
have  remained  to  use  their  skill  in  work  somewhat  similar  to  what 
they  used  to  do.  "The  stock  of  early  settlers  from  the  beet  regions  of 
Europe — Germany  and  Holland — have  helped  make  beet  raising  a  suc- 
cess." 

3.  Capital. — Although  perhaps  a  large  proportion  of  the  for- 
tunes made  here  from  the  lumber  industry  were  taken  from  this  re- 
gion with  the  moving  of  the  saw  mills,  still  much  has  been  retained 
and  invested  in  the  newer  enterprises.  There  is  great  liberality  among 
the  business  men  and  manufacturers  of  today  in  helping  to  finance  new 
enterprises  of  real  worth. 

4.  Raw  Materials. — The  transportation  facilities,  both  water 
and  rail,  enable  our  factories  to  get  raw  materials  from  all  parts  of 
the  country.  This  is  true  for  the  woodworking  industries,  the  fac- 
tories using  iron,  steel,  copper  and  other  metals,  and  for  others,  such 
as  the  knitting  mills,  peanut  butter  factories,  and  others. 

But  we  must  look  to  the  development  of  agriculture  to  discover 
the  source  of  raw  materials  of  many  of  our  factories.  These  ma- 
terials are  mostly  perishable  and  must  be  used  near  the  source.  With- 
out our  wonderful  farming  lands,  many  of  the  factories  would  have  to 
locate  elsewhere  in  order  to  get  the  materials  with  which  to  work. 


148 


BAY     COUNTY,     PAST     AND     PRESENT. 


O 


o 
O 


PERIOD     OF     TRANSITION.  149 

5.  Food  Supply. — So  many  people  are  gathered  into  a  small  area 
for  manufacturing  purposes  that  the  food  supply  for  them  is  essen- 
tial. Here  again  we  find  Bay  County  particularly  adapted  to  this  pur- 
pose, for  the  favorable  climate,  rich,  varied  soil,  and  level  surface 
make  market  gardening  and  truck  farming,  with  a  great  variety  of 
food  products,  very  profitable. 

6.  Market. — We  have  an  excellent  home  market  for  our  various 
manufactured  products.  The  Saginaw  valley  has  an  ever-increasing 
population ;  the  rural  population  is  more  dense  than  in  most  other 
parts  of  the  state  either  to  the  north  or  south.  But  our  factories  are 
not  limited  in  their  markets  to  the  local  region.  The  market  for 
products  made  here,  machinery,  flooring,  houses,  underwear,  sugar, 
chicory  and  many  others,  is  the  nation,  and  in  some  cases  the  world. 

7.  Power. — The  sources  of  power  often  have  much  to  do  with 
the  location  of  factories.  When  lumbering  was  at  its  best  there  was 
no  problem  of  power,  for  the  mills  furnished  more  sawdust  and  other 
waste  materials  that  could  be  used  for  fuel  than  they  knew  what  to 
do  with.  With  the  decline  of  lumbering,  however,  the  problem  became 
important.  Coal  was  needed  now,  and  so  attention  was  turned  to  the 
great  bed  of  coal  that,  as  was  long  known  through  drilling  wells  for 
salt,  underlies  this  part  of  the  state.  In  1894,  Alex  and  Frank  Zagel- 
meyer,  in  a  company  with  others,  sunk  the  shaft  of  the  Monitor  mine, 
the  first  in  Bay  County,  and  made  a  success  of  coal  mining.  Soon 
many  other  mines  were  started,  and  today  they  furnish  the  necessary 
fuel  for  great  numbers  of  our  factories  in  addition  to  shipping  coal  to 
other  parts  of  the  state.  The  coal  is  not  so  good  in  fuel  value — that 
is,  in  heat  units  per  pound — as  coal  from  Ohio  and  other  coal  regions, 
but  it  is  mined  cheaply  enough  to  be  able  to  compete  successfully  with 
them. 

Woodworking  mills  still  use  their  waste  material  to  create  power, 
but  many  of  them  have  to  use  coal  as  well,  and  some  find  it  more  profit- 
able to  sell  the  wood  and  sawdust  for  other  purposes  and  buy  coal  for 
their  own  use.  Another  important  source  of  power  today  is  the  elec- 
tricity that  is  transformed  from  the  water  power  at  the  AuSable  river 
dams,  and  is  transmitted  here  cheaply  over  cables  stretched  on  high 
steel  towers.  It  would  cost  much  more  to  ship  enough  coal  that  dis- 
tance that  would  produce  the  same  amount  of  power. 

Of  course  all  these  elements  that  help  make  Bay  City  important  in 
manufacturing  depend  partly  on  each  other  for  their  own  importance. 
The  production  of  sugar  is  a  good  example.  Farmers  will  produce  this 
raw  material,  because  men  have  invested  capital  in  factories.  They 
are  aided  in  this  production  by  transportation  facilities,  including 
good  roads,  and  railroads.    They  find  a  supply  of  labor  for  beet  weed- 


150 


BAY     COUNTY,     PAST     AND     PRES::iNT. 


O 

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pq 


02 

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c<3 
O 

Q 

O 

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!=l 
O 


PERIOD     OF     TRANSITION. 


151 


HYDRO-ELECTRIC  POWER  GENERATED  ON  THE  AU  SABLE. 


Five  Channels   Dam 


Along  the  course 
of    this   stream, 
through     Iosco 
county,    there    are 
three    huge    dams 
together  with  large 
generating     plants 
where    electrical 
current   is    genera- 
ted    twenty-four 
hours  daily  by  the 
Consumers'  Power  Company. 
Seventeen    thousand    kilo- 
wats,     representing  twenty- 
seven  thousand  horse  power, 
are  generated  at  2500  volts. 
This  is  then  passed  through 
transformers    and    "stepped 
up"    to    140,000   volts.      In 
this  form  the  current  can  be 
transmitted  over  a  radius  of 
two    hundred    miles.     On 
reaching    a    distributing 
point,  the  voltage  is  reduced 
to  23  00  volts  for  use. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  wide  extent 
to  which  the  Iosco  county-AuSable 
river  product  is  put,  one  needs  but  list 
the  towns  which  are  served,  and  they 
are  as  follows:      Oscoda,  East  Tawas, 


Transmitting  To'wer 


Tawas    City,    Ala- 
baster,  Bay   City, 
Midland,     Auburn, 
Kawkawlin,  Essex- 
ville,     Preeland, 
Saginaw,   Zilwau- 
kee,    Carrolton, 
Clio,  Mt.   Morris, 
Fenton,    Owosso, 
Saint  John,  subur- 
ban   communities, 
coal   mines    in    the  Saginaw- 
Valley,    and    the    street   rail- 
way   systems  in  Flint,    Sag- 
inaw,   Bay    City,    the    Inter- 
Urban    lines    connecting  and 
a  portion  of  the   Detroit 
United   Railway  lines   opera- 
ting  out  of  Flint.      These 
cities  and  towns  represent  a 
population  of  250,000  people 
to  whom  electrical  current  is 
available  at  very  nominal 
prices. 

Another  feature  worthy 
of  note  is  that  the  farmers  along  the 
lines  of  transmission  are  able  to  secure 
the  current  with  which  they  can  oper- 
ate their  separators,  churns,  silo  fillers, 
pumps,  etc. 


ing  among  the  women  and  children  of  many  foreign  families  living  in 
the  city.  They  in  turn  help  supply  labor  for  the  factories,  as  the  cam- 
paign is  in  the  late  fall  and  early  winter  when  the  young  men  can  leave 
the  farm  for  a  few  weeks.  And  men  would  not  have  been  willing  to 
invest  capital  in  the  factories  if  this  were  not  such  a  favorable  place, 
in  climate  and  soil,  for  raising  sugar  beets,  or  if  labor  and  fuel,  food 
for  the  laborers,  and  transportation  for  the  beets  were  too  expensive. 

REFERENCES. 

Gansser — History  of  Bay  County,  1905. 


152 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


W.  D.  Young  &  Gc 

Birdseye  view  taken  by  means  of  box  kites  wliich.  held  the  camera  6O0ft 
the  road  and  railroad  is  due  to  the  manner  in  which  the  picture  was  taken 


1.  Office. 

2.  Flooring-  Mills. 

3.  Warehouse  No.  1. 

4.  Warehouse  No.  2. 

5.  Warehouse  No.  3. 

6.  Warehouse  No.  4. 


7.  Warehouse  No.  5. 

8.  End-Dried  White  Maple  Shed. 

9.  Wood  Yard  No.  1. 

10.  Wood  Yard  No.  2. 

11.  Lumber  Yard  No.  2. 


12.  Wood  YardN 

13.  Lumber  Yarc 

14.  Wood  Yard  M 

15.  Log-  Skld-i\-i 

16.  Dry  Kiln  No, 


PERIOD     OF     TRANSITION. 


153 


l^f&ffl. 


xdwood  Flooring. 

lOve  the  plant.     The  shutter  was  operated  by  electricity.     The  curved  effect  of 
y  are  actually  straight.     There  is  now  a  new  office  building. 


17.   Dry  Kiln  No.  4. 

IS.  Wood  and  Sawdust  Conveyor. 

19.  Double  Band  Saw  Mill. 

20.  Boiler  House. 

21.  Engine  House. 


22.  Dry  Kilns  Nos.  1,  2  and  3. 

23.  Stables   (25  horses.) 

24.  Refuse  House. 

25.  Blacksmith  Shop. 

26.  Daily  Log-  Train  from  Woods. 


154 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Zagelmeyer  Cast  Stone  Block  and  Machinery  Company. 


Chicory  Factory. 


BAY  CITY  AS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER.  155 

Chapter  XXII. 

INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

BAY  CITY  AS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER. 

OMMERCE,  including  trade,  or  the  buying  and  selling  of 
goods,  and  transportation  and  communication  used  in  such 
buying  and  selling,  is  an  industry  that  must  exist  in  connec- 
tion with  all  manufacturing  on  a  large  scale.  Power  and  raw 
materials  must  be  purchased  and  brought  to  the  factory  and 
the  manufactured  products  must  be  marketed.  As  was  indicated  in 
the  preceding  chapter  under  the  topics,  "Markets"  and  "Raw  Mater- 
ials," Bay  County  has  its  share  of  this  sort  of  commerce. 

In  every  center  of  population  there  must  be  what  might  be  termed 
"local"  commerce.  Merchandise  of  all  kinds,  hardware,  furniture, 
jewelry,  medicines,  clothing,  house  furnishings,  feed,  and  many  other 
things  are  obtained  by  the  wholesale  and  retail  merchants  and  are 
sold  and  delivered  to  the  people.  The  farmers  conduct  market  gar- 
dens in  which  they  produce  vegetables,  poultry,  fruits,  and  other  food 
supplies.  These  are  brought  to  the  city  on  the  market  wagon  or  the 
farmer's  automobile  truck  and  are  sold  to  the  wholesale  stores,  or  to 
the  grocers  and  the  public  at  the  city  market,  on  Saginaw  street,  be- 
tween Second  and  Third  streets.  Then  they  buy  from  the  city  stores 
the  things  they  need  for  their  own  homes. 

BAY  CITY,  THE  GATEWAY  TO  NORTHEASTERN  MICHIGAN. 

The  commerce  of  many  cities  is  limited  to  this  local  commerce 
and  to  that  connected  with  manufacturing.  But  Bay  City  is  so  located 
as  to  have  a  still  greater  work  as  a  "distributing  center."  On  a  small 
scale,  our  location  is  similar  to  that  of  Chicago.  Land  routes  from 
east  to  west  must  pass  south  of  Lake  Michigan,  through  Chicago,  and 
those  from  south  to  north  in  Michigan  must  pass  around  Saginaw  Bay 
through  Bay  City.  This  also  is  the  most  northern  of  the  larger  Mich- 
igan cities  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state.  There  are  many  villages 
in  northeastern  Michigan  that  look  to  us  to  supply  the  many  needs  of 
their  citizens  and  the  neighboring  farmers.  Goods  are  brought  here 
from  large  wholesale  concerns  in  such  cities  as  Chicago,  Detroit,  and 
even  from  New  York  and  other  eastern  cities.  Our  wholesale  mer- 
chants, of  whom  there  are  said  to  be  more  than  in  any  other  city  in 
Michigan  north  of  Detroit,  include  the  wholesale  grocers,  the  fruit 
and  vegetable  commission  merchants,  wholesale  hardware  dealers, 
tobacco  dealers,  millers,  bakers  and  others.  These  sell  their  products 
to  the  retail  stores  in  the  small  towns  in  northeastern  Michigan  and 
the  "Thumb"  district.    Many  firms  have  their  traveling  salesmen  who 


156 


BAY     COUNTY,     PAST     AND     PRESENT. 


BAY  CITY  AS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER. 


151 


bo 


m 
o 


158 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


visit  these  merchants  at  regular  intervals,  showing  them  the  samples 
of  their  merchandise,  and  taking  their  orders  for  goods.  The  Detroit, 
Bay  City  &  Western  railroad  makes  possible  this  trade  with  the 
"Thumb"  district,  while  the  Detroit  &  Mackinac  and  the  Michigan 
Central  connect  with  the  many  towns  to  the  north  of  us,  both  along 
the  lake  shore  and  in  the  interior.  They  deliver  the  goods  to  the  mer- 
chants, who  in  turn  retail  them  out  to  the  people  of  the  towns  and  the 
surrounding  country.  In  return,  the  farmers  market  their  farm 
products — fruit,  vegetables,  grain,  butter,  eggs,  cattle,  and  sheep — in 
Bay  City  wholesale  stores,  canning  factories,  grist  mills  and  the  meat 
packing  company.  Bay  City  is  also  the  port  of  entry  and  distributing 
point  of  all  central  and  northeastern  Michigan  for  the  Canadian  lum- 
ber. Millions  of  feet  of  lumber  are  brought  by  boat  every  year,  not 
only  for  our  big  mills,  but  for  use  in  the  inland  cities. 

Some  cities  gain  their  importance  almost  entirely  from  the  busi- 
ness they  get  as  a  commercial  distributing  center  for  the  surrounding 
territory.  Bay  City  is  fortunate  in  having  advantages,  both  as  a 
manufacturing  center  and  as  a  distributing  center. 


BAY  CITY  AS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER. 


159 


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160        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Chapter  XXIII. 

THE  PEOPLE  OF  BAY  COUNTY. 
F  THE  native  inhabitants  of  Bay  County,  the  Chippewa  In- 
dians, there  are  very  few  left.  Some  live  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county  near  the  bay  shore,  most  of  whom  are  in 
very  poor  circumstances.  The  majority  moved  away  to  re- 
servations at  an  early   date,   and  the   others   suffered   from 


smallpox,  tuberculosis  and  other  diseases  to  such  an  extent  that  but 
few  have  survived.  (1) 

Until  about  1857  most  of  the  settlers  of  Bay  County  were  people 
who  had  been  born  in  America.  There  were  those  of  French  descent 
from  Canada  and  southern  Michigan,  and  those  of  English  descent 
who  came  from  southern  Michigan  or  from  the  northeastern  part  of 
the  United  States.  (2)  The  French  settled  in  groups  in  the  various 
villages,  especially  in  Banks,  where  they  engaged  in  the  fishing  indus- 
try, and  in  the  northern  part  of  the  city  on  the  east  side  of  the  river. 
A  large  number  of  New  Englanders  settled  in  Portsmouth  and  Lower 
Saginaw  and  engaged  in  business  or  manufacturing,  or  they  made  the 
beginnings  in  agriculture.  Wenona  was  started  in  the  early  sixties 
and  grew  so  rapidly  as  to  make  a  great  demand  for  laborers.  These 
came  from  many  sources,  and  the  population  was  mixed  from  the 
start. 

There  was  one  group  of  actual  foreigners  who  came  to  Bay 
County  before  the  steady  foreign  immigration  started.  German 
immigrants  located  in  Frankenlust  township  as  early  as  1848,  and  this 
fact  attracted  many  others  of  the  same  nationality  to  that  vicinity,  in- 
cluding the  village  of  Salzburg  and  Monitor  township,  in  later  years. 
It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  year  1848,  in  which  Rev.  Philip 
Sievers,  the  Lutheran  minister,  and  his  followers  came  to  America, 
there  was  a  great  revolution  in  Germany  and  in  other  parts  of  Europe 
in  which  the  people  were  struggling  to  get  some  share  in  their  govern- 
ment. In  all  probability  these  settlers  came  here  to  escape  the  evils  of 
that  government  in  which  the  people  had  no  part,  and  which  was 
causing  so  much  trouble  even  then. 

Since  that  time  many  other  nationalities  have  been  represented  in 
the  immigration  into  all  parts  of  Bay  County.  Germans  and  Holland- 
ers settled  in  Hampton  township  about  1857.  (3)  Beginning  about 
1872,  many  Polish  and  Jews  have  come  from  Russia  and  Germany  to 
escape  the  cruel  persecution  and  the  bad  living  conditions  resulting 
from  the  evils  of  wrong  government.  In  later  years  people  came  from 
Sweden,  Holland,  Belgium,  Austria,  Hungary  and  other  European 
countries. 


(1)  "Wah-Sash-Kali-Moqua"  contains  an  interesting-  account  of  life  among  tlie 
Saganing-  Indians  from  1S63  to  1897.  On  pages  131-140  Dr.  Thomas  R.  Palmer  tells  of 
an  epidemic  of  smallpox  among  these  Indians. 

(2)  See  page  83. 

(3)  Bay  County  History,  Gansser,  pages  139-141. 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  BAY  COUNTY.  161 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  POPULATION. 

There  was  a  strong  tendency  for  these  people  to  locate  in  the  city 
and  county  in  groups.  Those  speaking  the  same  language  and  having 
the  same  religion  and  customs  naturally  wanted  to  be  together.  This 
is  seen  in  the  townships  as  well  as  in  the  city.  The  people  of  each  na- 
tionality have  their  own  peculiar  characteristics,  and  each  group  adds 
valuable  elements  to  our  life.  Some  had  been  farmers,  others  laborers, 
and  still  others  merchants.  The  majority  of  each  would  seek  employ- 
ment in  their  particular  line,  so  that  the  county  has  had  plenty  of 
material  to  aid  in  the  development  of  all  the  occupations. 

The  great  majority  of  the  people  live  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
county.  This  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  the  Saginaw  river  offered 
such  a  favorable  location  for  towns,  and  was  surrounded  by  fertile 
fields  for  the  production  of  food  supplies  for  the  people  in  the  towns. 
Besides  this,  it  was  long  believed  that  the  land  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  county,  from  which  the  pines  had  been  cut,  had  soil  that  was  poor 
and  sandy — useless  for  agriculture.  This  land  was  even  called  by  the 
unfavorable  name  of  "pine  barrens."  There  are  more  sand  ridges 
than  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  it  is  true,  but  most  of  the  soil 
is  rich  loam,  and  there  is  much  better  drainage  than  along  the  Sag- 
inaw river  and  the  southern  shore  of  the  bay.  Today  these  "pine  bar- 
rens" are  being  occupied  for  farms  and  stock  raising,  and  it  has  been 
suggested  that  some  parts  could  be  reforested  with  profit.  There  are 
nearly  5,000  people  to  the  square  mile  in  Bay  City,  and  only  50  per 
square  mile  in  the  rest  of  the  county. 

LOYAL  AMERICANS. 

The  sincere  and  loyal  character  of  our  population  in  the  period  of 
the  Civil  War,  when  the  country  was  fighting  for  the  Union,  is  shown 
by  the  enlistments.  "The  children  of  1842  were  the  young  men  of 
1861  to  1865,  and  the  noble  precept  and  example  of  James  G.  Birney, 
the  outcast  from  his  native  heath,  the  self-denying  pioneer,  were  re- 
warded by  their  devoted  service  in  times  that  tried  men's  souls.  The 
records  of  the  office  of  the  Adjutant  General  of  Michigan  show  that 
Bay  County,  during  those  four  years,  sent  about  511  soldiers  forth  to 
the  battle  (4)  of  whom  eighty-five  died  in  service,  while  many  more, 
from  wounds  and  sickness,  gave  up  their  young  lives  after  being  mus- 
tered out,  but  before  peace  came  to  bless  our  land.  When  we  find  that 
the  federal  census  of  1860  gave  Bay  County  a  population  of  3,164 
men,  women  and  children,  (5517  in  1864  or  1865)  we  can  readily  ap- 
preciate the  sacrifices  of  men  and  money  made  by  this  community, 
that  our  nation  might  live  one  and  indivisible."  (5) 

(4)  See  Michigan  in  the  War,  page  66. 

(5)  History  of  Bay  County,  Gansser,  page  348. 


162        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

The  response  to  the  call  of  our  country  in  the  Spanish-American 
war  was  also  prompt  and  enthusiastic.  And  today  Bay  County  again 
shows  its  patriotism,  not  only  by  furnishing  its  full  share  or  more  in 
volunteers  for  active  service,  but  also  by  responding  to  appeals  for 
money  and  for  other  aid  in  a  way  that  is  exceeded  by  few  places  of 
equal  population  in  the  country.  The  new  view  that  in  a  republic 
every  citizen,  not  just  those  who  are  willing  to  volunteer,  must  share 
in  the  necessary  dangers  and  sacrifices  demanded  in  such  a  war,  is  ac- 
cepted by  the  great  majority  in  Bay  County  as  a  patriotic  duty. 

LIVING  CONDITIONS. 

There  has  been  a  steady  development  in  the  living  conditions  in 
Bay  County,  keeping  pace  with  the  changes  made  possible  by  modern 
inventions  and  discoveries.  These  improvements  are,  most  of  them, 
such  that  the  laborer  and  farmer,  as  well  as  others,  can  make  use  of 
them  and  can  have  a  modern  home  regardless  of  its  size  and  location. 
The  early  conditions  have  been  described  to  some  extent  already,  and 
the  change  from  those  days  seem  remarkable.  We  smile  now  at  the 
fact  that  cows  were  allowed  to  roam  at  large  through  the  city  streets, 
causing  those  who  desired  lawns  and  gardens  to  erect  fences  as  a  pro- 
tection from  the  cattle.  Then  came  the  state  law,  planned  it  is  said, 
by  John  L.  Stoddard — after  the  city's  mayor  vetoed  a  similar  rule 
passed  by  the  Common  Council — forbidding  the  pasturing  of  cattle  in 
the  streets  of  cities  of  over  10,000  population.  A  city  pound  was  then 
established  on  Grant  street,  between  Sixth  and  McKinley,  and  later  at 
Tenth  and  Johnson  streets,  to  which  the  stray  cows  were  driven.  The 
owner  could  obtain  his  property  by  paying  a  fine,  which  included  its 
board  and  lodging  while  in  the  pound.  Gradually  it  has  been  possible 
to  rid  the  city  of  the  unsightly  fences. 

The  kerosene  lamp,  introduced  in  the  settlement  by  the  Cottrells 
as  a  great  improvement  in  the  method  of  lighting,  has  long  since  been 
replaced  for  general  use  by  gas  and  electricity.  The  first  gas  company 
erected  its  plant  and  laid  pipes  in  1868,  at  a  time  when  houses  were 
being  built  at  the  rate  of  from  400  to  500  a  year,  and  electricity  was 
introduced  in  1882,  Other  conveniences,  now  greatly  improved,  were 
introduced  quite  early.  For  protection  from  fire,  first  arrangements 
were  made  about  1859.  City  water  was  provided  in  1872,  and  a  library 
in  1870.  The  first  newspaper,  the  Bay  City  Press,  was  published  as  a 
weekly  in  1856  for  but  a  few  weeks.  It  was  edited  by  James  Bimey. 
(6)  A  more  lasting  start  was  made  by  the  "Press,"  which  was  first 
published  in  1859.  Since  then  the  city  has  been  supplied  with  news  by 
one  and  most  of  the  time  by  two  or  more  papers. 

The  first  cemetery  was  established  about  1840  in  a  sand  ridge  in 


(6)  James  Birney  was  the  son  of  James  G.  Birney,  and  was  for  years  one  of  our 
best  known  citizens.  He  was  state  senator,  1858-1860;  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Mich- 
igan, 1860;  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  in  this  district  for  the  next  four  years;  editor 
of  the  Bay  City  Chronicle,  1871  to  1876,  and  United  States  Minister  to  the  Nether- 
lands in  1876. 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  BAY  COUNTY. 


les 


the  block  bounded  by  Washington,  Saginaw,  Eleventh  and  Twelfth 
streets.  It  was  abandoned  after  the  Pine  Ridge  cemetery  was  es- 
tablished by  James  Birney.  Many  skeletons  have  been  found  there 
during  the  building  operations  in  recent  years.  It  is  difficult  to  find 
out  who  was  the  first  regular  doctor  in  Bay  County  as  reports  differ, 
but  it  is  clear  that  after  1857  the  county  was  well  supplied.  But  hos- 
pital arrangements  were  lacking  during  most  of  our  history.  Until 
the  establishment  of  the  Mercy  Hospital  in  1900  it  was  necessary  to 
rely  on  Saginaw  hospitals  for  such  service. 

The  ''floating  population"  of  Bay  County  in  the  lumbering  days 
was  very  large.  Men  stopped  here  on  their  way  to  and  from  the  lum- 
ber woods.  Men  without  families  came  to  work  in  the  mills  during 
the  rush  season.  During  the  winter  there  were  a  great  number  of 
sailors  staying  here,  waiting  for  the  opening  of  navigation  in  the 
spring.  Business  men  with  interests  in  this  part  of  the  state  and 
homes  elsewhere  had  to  be  provided  with  lodging,  and  traveling  sales- 
men have  long  made  this  their  headquarters  while  visiting  towns  in 
northeastern  Michigan. 

For  such  people,  hotels  were  established  early  in  our  history. 
The  first  frame  house  of  the  Tromble's  became  the  River  House,  and 
later  the  Center  House.  In  a  later  period  the  Astor  House  of  Ports- 
mouth was  well  known.  In  Lower  Saginaw  the  home  of  Sidney  S. 
Campbell  was  first  used  as  a  hotel,  and  was  later  enlarged  by  Rouech, 
1862,  and  named  the  Globe  Hotel.  The  Wolverton  House  was  establish- 
ed at  Third  and  Water  streets,  the  very  center  of  the  town,  by  J.  S.  Bar- 
clay in  1852.  It  was  named  after  the  first  keeper  of  the  lighthouse  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  for  many  years  considered  one  of  the  best 
hotels  in  this  part  of  the  state.  The  Fraser  Hotel,  erected  by  James 
Fraser,  at  Center  and  Water  streets,  was  a  wonderful  improvement  of 
1865  and  1866.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  Christmas  day,  1906,  but 
was  soon  replaced  by  the  present  Wenonah  Hotel  (19  0  8)  which 
ranks  high  among  the  .-       .  -  ^_  - 

hotels  of  the  state  on 
account  of  its  beauty, 
its  pleasant  location 
near  Wenonah  Park 
and  the  river,  while 
being  at  the  same  time 
in  the  heart  of  the 
business  section,  and 
for  its  excellent  ser- 
vice. 


Churches :     After 
the   religious    services 


Wenonah  Hotel. 


164 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building. 


held  in  pioneer  days  by  James  G.  Birney,  churches  of  many  denomina- 
tions were  established  one  after  another.  Meetings  would  be  held  in 
Birney  Hall,  in  the  school  house,  or  in  the  church  building  of  some 
other  denomination.  The  church  services  would  be  irregular,  but  the 
Sunday  schools,  directed  often  by  a  group  of  the  ladies,  held  sessions 
somewhere  every  Sunday.  As  the  church  organization  grew  stronger, 
arrangements  were  made  for  a  church  building.  The  first  church 
building  erected  for  the  purpose  in  the  county,  however,  was  not  in 
the  villages,  but  was  near  the  banks  of  the  Kawkawlin  river  at  the 
Indian  Mission.  This  building  was  erected  in  1847  under  the  direction 
of  Reverend  Brown,  a  Methodist  missionary  for  the  Indians  in  that 
section,  (7)  The  first  churches  in  Bay  City  were  all  built  on  Washing- 
ton street,  between  Second  and  Tenth  streets.  (8)  This  peculiar  fact 
is  explained  by  a  provision  made  by  the  original  Saginaw  Bay  Com- 
pany in  making  its  plat  of  Lower  Saginaw.  It  set  aside  two  lots  in 
each  of  a  certain  number  of  blocks  on  Washington  street  to  be  donated 
to  church  societies  for  buildings  that  must  be  erected  under  conditions 
approved  by  the  directors  of  the  company.  One  of  these  buildings,  that 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  is  still  in  use  as  the  Odd  Fellows  Hall, 
across  from  the  City  Hall.  Later,  as  the  city  grew,  Washington  be- 
came a  business  street,  and  the  churches  sold  their  property  there  and 
built  new  and  better  buildings  on  their  present  sites. 

Other  Organizations :     The  Young  Men's    Christian   Association 
was    organized    and    reorganized  several  times    before    the    present 


(7)      Historj^  of  Bay  County,  Gansser.  pages  142  and  272. 
(S)      See  Appendix  for  the  names  and  location  of  each. 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  BAY  COUNTY. 


165 


active  association  succeeded  in  erecting  the  modern  and  useful  building 
that  it  now  occupies.  The  first  organization  was  in  1868,  and  rooms 
were  rented  in  the  Averill  block  on  Center  avenue.  This  died  from  lack 
of  interest.  A  new  society  was  formed  in  1885,  and  a  building  at  the 
corner  of  Center  and  Washington  avenues  was  occupied  until  the  pur- 
chase of  a  building  on  Adams,  between  Center  and  Sixth. 

In  a  social  and  charitable  way  the  ladies  of  Bay  County  made  an 
early  start.  The  newspapers  of.  the  sixties  give  accounts  of  their 
activities,  such  as  holding  a  grand  May  Day  celebration  in  Birney 
Hall.  In  1886  they  established  the  Old  Ladies'  Home,  and  cared  for 
the  children  in  the  same  place  until  a  building  could  be  erected.  The 
Young  Women's  Christian  Association  was  organized  in  1891,  and  up 
to  the  time  that  its  new  building  was  occupied  in  February,  1916,  it 
had  had  five  or  six  different  temporary  quarters.  Now  it  is  able  to 
accomplish  much  good  that  was  impossible  without  such  a  home.  To- 
day there  are  a  number  of  other  women's  organizations,  the  real  ob- 
ject of  each  being  to  improve  living  conditions  of  the  city  in  every  pos- 
sible way.  The  Civic  League,  in  which  all  of  the  women  of  the  city  are 
interested,  is  doing  wonderful  work  by  means  of  its  many  departments, 
and  it  is  increasing  its  activities  each  year.  At  present  it  has  the  fol- 
lowing departments:  Visiting  Nurse  and  Free  Dispensary,  which  car- 
ries on  a  variety  of  work,  including  that  of  a  sewing  circle,  children's 
Christmas  cheer,  anti-tuberculosis,  and  milk  fund;  Social  Service, 
which  attends  to  the  collecting  and  distributing  of  food  and  clothing ; 
the  City  Beautiful ;  Mothers'  Club ;  Sanitary ;  and  Junior  departments. 

Recreation :  There  have  been 
wonderful  opportunities  for  re- 
creation and  sport  of  all  kinds 
from  the  earliest  years  in  the 
settlement  on  account  of  the 
location  near  the  river  and  bay. 
Men  used  to  come  here  on  their 
vacations  from  the  southern 
part  of  the  state  for  hunting  and 
fishing  trips.  Summer  resorts 
have  long  been  popular  along 
the  bay  shore,  offering  excellent 
bathing,  boating,  fishing,  and 
other  pleasures.  There  were  or- 
ganizations to  assist  the  people 


166 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


to  get  full  benefit  of  opportunities  for  pleasure,  at  a  very  early  date. 
In  1867  there  were  a  Rifle  Club,  Nautical  Club,  and  a  Baseball  Club. 


Ready  for  the  Contest. 


The  Winner. 

Men  accustomed  to  handling  logs  often  used  to  engage  in  water  sports, 
such  as  log  rolling  contests,  in  which  each  of  two  men,  balancing  on  a 
log,  would  strive  to  cause  the  other  to  lose  his  balance  and  fall  into  the 
river. 

For  many  years  boat  races  were  held.  There  were  contests  be- 
tween sailboats  of  all  classes.  Later,  power  boats  were  made  here 
and  some  of  the  fastest  launches  of  the  country,  such  as  the  ''Secret," 
have  raced  on  the  river. 

The  winter  has  afforded  ice  skating  and  boating  on  the  river. 
There  were  skating  rinks  and  toboggan  slides.     From  twenty-five  to 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  BAY  COUNTY. 


167 


thirty  years  ago  tobogganning  was  very  popular.  Long  flat  coasters 
were  used,  and  slides  were  built  out  Center  avenue.  These  were  thirty 
or  forty  feet  high,  and  produced  a  slide  about  two  blocks  long.  A  fee 
was  charged  for  the  use  of  the  toboggans  the  same  as  for  the  skating 
rinks. 

Parks :  The  Saginaw  Bay  Company,  when  platting  their  village 
of  Lower  Saginaw,  had  made  provision  for  permanent  parks.  These 
are  located  at  First  and  Washington,  Ninth  and  Madison,  and  Center 
and  Jefferson  streets.  Later  a  much  larger  one,  known  as  Carrol 
Park,  was  donated  to  the  city  by  C.  C.  Fitzhugh.  There  is  also  a  park 
on  Broadway  avenue,  but  until  recently  no  parks  were  provided  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river.  A  block  has  now  been  purchased  for  such  a 
park  at  the  corner  of  Midland  and  Williams  streets.  One  of  the  best 
sites  for  a  park  would  be  on  the  river  bank,  but  no  provision  was  made 
for  one  until  1908,  when  money  was  borrowed  for  the  purchase  and 
improvement  of  the  beautiful  Wenonah  park.  Several  business  blocks 
were  torn  down,  the  river  bank  was  built  up  with  material  dredged 
from  the  river,  and  today  it  is  a  delightful  spot  near  the  center  of  our 
main  business  district. 

Business  Activities:  The  business  activities  of  Bay  City  have 
kept  pace  with  the  industrial  development.  The  first  stores  started  by 
the  Trombles  and  Captain  Pierce  were  followed  by  numberless  others, 
so  that  today  the  retail  stores  of  the  city  rank  with  the  best  in  this 


Camping  Along  the  Bay  Shore. 


168 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


u         -i^f  ■■'^"  1^  ''^%' 


ING-WENONyX  BE.5^CH 


part  of  the  state.  Most  of  the  very  old  firms  have  gone  out  of  business, 
but  there  are  a  number  that  date  back  to  the  fifties  and  sixties.  Among 
the  oldest  is  the  Jennison  Hardware  Co.  C.  E.  Jennison,  whose  father 
had  an  interest  in  the  "Governor  Marcy,"  the  steamboat  that  came  up 
the  river  in  July,  1836,  started  business  about  1850.  The  bakery  of 
Frederick  Arnold,  at  Fifth  and  Saginaw  streets,  was  established  in 
1856.  In  the  directory  for  1866  and  1867  are  found  the  names  of  C.  R. 
Hawley  and  S.  V.  Wilkin. 

Banks :  The  first  banking  institution — the  Bay  Bank — was  es- 
tablished in  the  village  in  the  year  1863,  This  was  reorganized  the 
next  year  into  the  First  National  Bank.  It  was  followed  in  1869  by 
the  State  Bank  and  the  Bay  City  Bank.  The  Bank  of  Wenona,  which 
later  became  the  Lumberman's  State  Bank,  was  organized  in  1872, 
and  the  Second  National  Bank  in  1874.  The  present  healthy  condition 
of  our  business  and  industries  is  shown  by  the  remarkable  increase  in 
deposits  each  year,  while  the  total  resources  of  all  of  the  banks  runs 
far  into  the  millions — $19,011,278.45  in  November,  1917,  an  increase 
of  about  $7,500,000  in  one  year. 

An  organization  of  the  business  and  professional  men  who  are 
alive  to  the  needs  of  the  city  is  needed  for  any  growing  community. 
The  first  organization  of  this  kind  in  the  county  was  started  in  1865. 
It  had  "Keep  Moving"  for  its  motto.  (9)  But  it  evidently  failed  to 
keep  moving,  for  it  is  recorded  (9)  that  a  Chamber  of  Commerce  was 
organized  February  1,  1882,  and  that  it  accomplished  much  for  the 
booming  town.  But  by  1884  this,  too  had  "gone  to  sleep."  (10)  This 
sort  of  history  probably  repeated  itself  several  times.  Today,  how- 
ever, and  for  a  number  of  years  past,  Bay  City  has  had  a  very  active, 
well  organized,  and  efficient  group  of  business  and  professional  men. 


(9)  Directory  for  1868-1S69,  page  15. 

(10)  Bay  Citj^  Tribune,  January  27,  1884. 


GOVERNMENT — HISTORY  OF  ITS  ORGANIZATION. 


169 


Along  the  Bay  Shore. 

This  "Bay  City  Board  of  Commerce"  works  continually  for  the  im- 
provement and  development  of  the  city  and  of  this  section  of  the  state. 
It  takes  the  lead  in  many  matters  of  civic  importance  as  well  as  in 
affairs  of  business.  In  addition  to  this  there  are  some  active  and  help- 
ful sectional  organizations  of  the  business  and  professional  men. 

REFERENCES. 

See  references  for  Chapter  XVII.  and  XVIII. 

Chapter  XXIV. 

GOVERNMENT— HISTORY  OF  ITS  ORGANIZATION. 

FTER  Saginaw,  Midland  and  Arenac  counties  were  formed 
in  1831,  the  area  now  included  in  Bay  County  was  under  the 
Saginaw  county  government,  for  Midland  county  was  not  or- 
ganized for  several  years,  and  Arenac  was  destined  to  dis- 
appear before  it  had  any  organization.  When  Miller  and 
Eraser  platted  their  villages  in  1836  and  1837,  this  was  all  a  part  of 
Saginaw  township  in  Saginaw  county.  But  as  people  occupied  and 
developed  the  land  here  there  was  need  for  more  organization.  In 
1843  the  township  of  Hampton,  still  in  Saginaw  County,  was  organized 
"and  included  the  Lower  Saginaw  region,  and  territory  north  as  far 
as  Mackinaw.  The  name  'Hampton'  was  chosen  by  James  G.  Birney, 
that  being  the  name  of  the  county  seat  in  New  York  from  which  his 
wife  had  come.    The  first  election  was  held  at  the   Globe  Hotel,  (1) 


(1)      It  was  not  called  the  Globe  Hotel  then,  but  was  just  Sidney  Campbell's  resi- 
dence, which  also  served  as  a  hotel.) 


170        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

April  1,  1843.  This  was  an  important  meeting — a  supervisor  had  to 
be  elected.  Party  spirit  evidently  ran  high,  for  the  contest  was  a  close 
one.  There  were  thirteen  votes  cast,  of  which  Sidney  S.  Campbell  re- 
ceived seven,  and  James  G.  Birney  six ;  and  Mr.  Campbell  was  declared 
duly  elected  to  attend  meetings  of  the  county  board  (of  supervisors) 
at  Saginaw,  and  paddle  his  own  canoe  both  ways.  The  expenses  of 
the  township  for  the  first  year  were  about  $60.00."  (2)  "Wm.  R. 
McCormick's  hat  was  the  ballot  box  in  the  election,  and  it  was  a  stand- 
ing joke  in  the  settlement  that  he  wore  a  hat  large  enough  to  hold  all 
the  ballots  cast  between  here  and  Mackinaw."  (3) 

After  the  actual  organization  of  Midland  county,  January  1,  1851, 
part  of  the  west  side  of  the  river  was  included  in  its  boundaries,  and 
so  a  new  township,  that  of  Williams,  was  organized  in  1855.  By  this 
time  there  were  so  many  people  living  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  that 
about  one-third  of  the  cases  in  the  Saginaw  circuit  court  were  from 
this  section  of  Saginaw  county.  All  interested  in  the  trial  of  such 
cases  had  to  travel  to  Saginaw,  perhaps  many  times.  It  was  very  in- 
convenient on  account  of  the  difficulties  and  the  slow  rate  of  traveling, 
and  expensive  because  people  frequently  had  to  stay  in  Saginaw 
several  days  for  the  trial  of  a  case.  It  is  evident  why  the  people  in 
Portsmouth  and  Lower  Saginaw  desired  a  separate  county  to  be  or- 
ganized that  should  include  the  settlements  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
and  it  is  equally  evident  why  the  Saginaw  merchants  as  well  as  the 
politicians,  did  not  desire  such  a  separation  from  their  county.  As  the 
new  county  would  also  take  land  from  Midland  county,  it  too  was 
opposed  to  the  change. 

The  state  legislature  has  the  power  of  forming  new  counties,  so 
J,  S.  Barclay,  who  lived  at  Third  and  Water  streets  in  Lower  Saginaw 
and  was  one  of  the  representatives  from  Saginaw  county  in  the  legis- 
lature, introduced  a  bill  in  1855  for  the  organization  of  Bay  County. 
Judge  Miller  and  Daniel  Burns  went  to  Lansing  to  help  convince  the 
legislature  of  the  need  of  having  a  new  county,  but  the  bill  was  de- 
feated through  the  efforts  of  the  men  from  Saginaw  and  Midland.  In 
1857  James  Birney,  Henry  Raymond,  B.  F,  Partridge  and  others  went 
to  Lansing  for  the  same  purpose.  The  bill  passed  this  time,  but  pro- 
vided for  a  vote  by  the  people.  All  of  the  voters  in  the  three  counties, 
Saginaw,  Midland,  and  Arenac,  voted,  and  the  proposition  was  hope- 
lessly defeated.  But  C.  H.  Freeman,  a  lawyer  from  Lower  Saginaw 
who  had  drawn  up  the  bill,  insisted  that  the  bill  as  passed  by  the  legis- 
lature meant  that  only  those  people  of  the  three  counties  who   lived 


(2)  History  of  Bay  County,  1883,  page  22. 

(3)  Bay  Countj'  History,  Gansser,  page  100. 


GOVERNMENT — HISTORY  OF  ITS  ORGANIZATION.  171 

within  the  boundaries  of  the  proposed  new  county  should  vote  on  the 
proposition — ^not  all  the  others,  too.  According  to  Freeman,  since  the 
vote  in  the  proposed  county  was  204  to  14  in  favor  of  organizing  the 
county,  the  proposition  had  passed.  So  the  officers  of  the  two  town- 
ships, Hampton  and  Williams,  called  for  a  county  election  to  be  held 
the  first  Monday  in  June,  1857.  The  offices  filled  at  this  election  were: 
Sheriff,  clerk,  treasurer,  register  of  deeds,  judge  of  probate, 
prosecuting  attorney,  circuit  court  commissioner,  surveyor,  and 
coroner.  These  officers  proceeded  to  transact  business  for  Bay  County, 
but  Saginaw  County  claimed  that  there  was  no  such  thing  as  Bay 
County  in  existence. 

Here  was  a  dispute  which  only  the  courts  could  decide.  The 
question  was  carried  to  the  Michigan  Supreme  Court,  and  in  May,  1858, 
as  a  result  of  the  work  and  persistence  of  Mr.  Freeman,  when  many 
of  the  best  lawyers  in  the  state  believed  that  he  was  wrong,  the  court 
decided  that  he  was  right  in  his  claim,  and  that  Bay  County  had  been 
lawfully  organized.  "The  next  morning  after  the  decision  was  made,, 
the  news  was  receved  here  by  the  Detroit  boat,  that  being  the  most 
reliable  and  shortest  route  we  had.  There  being  no  cannon  here,  and 
no  military  company  with  fire  arms  with  which  to  sound  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  reality  of  Bay  County,  the  only  anvil  in  the  county 
(from  the  village  blacksmith  shop)  was  pressed  into  service,  and  the 
cannonading  would  drown,  and  did  drown,  the  sleepy  ideas  of  some  of 
the  sleepy  people  of  this  infant  city,  and  send  them  along  the  path  to 
prosperity  and  to  wealth.  The  news  brought  the  people  to  their  right 
senses,  and  the  city  and  county  have  rushed  along  the  rough  track  of 
building  up,  burning  down,  and  rebuilding  in  more  substantial  style." 
(4)  This  new  county  included  all  of  Arenac  County  and  all  of  the 
present  Bay  County  except  the  township  of  Frankenlust. 

Up  to  this  date  there  were  no  village  officers,  but  all  the  work  of 
government  was  done  by  the  township  officers.  Now,  however,  there 
were  so  many  people  living  in  the  villages  that  many  improvements 
were  necessary  that  were  not  needed  by  the  rest  of  the  township.  In 
order  to  provide  the  proper  officers  to  attend  to  these  matters,  and  to 
allow  money  to  be  raised  in  the  village  for  village  purposes,  the  former 
Lower  Saginaw,  whose  name  had  been  changed  to  Bay  City  in  1857, 
was  incorporated  as  a  village  in  February,  1859.  This  included  in  its 
boundaries,  both  of  the  former  villages  on  the  east  side  of  the  river. 

An  election  was  held  in  Birney  Hall  on  Water  street,  and  Curtis 
Munger  was  chosen  the  first  president  of  the  village  of  Bay  City. 
Other  offices  filled  by  the  election  were :    Recorder,  treasurer,  and  six 

(4)      General  B.  F.  Partridg-e,  in  The  History  of  Bay  County,  1S76,  page  22. 


171 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


trustees,  who  made  up  the  village  council.  The  first  council  meeting 
was  held  over  the  store  of  Jennison  Brothers  at  the  foot  of  Fifth 
street  on  May  6,  1859,  at  which  appointments  were  made  to  the  offices 
of  village  marshal,  street  commissioner,  and  three  assessors.  "Among 
the  first  acts  of  the  village  trustees,  was  the  ordering  of  sidewalks  on 
Washington  street  from  First  to  Tenth  street,  and  the  opening  of 
Jefferson  and  Madison  streets,  north  of  Center  street." 

By  1865  people  were  moving  to  Bay  City  in  great  numbers,  and  it 
was  felt  that  the  village  government  could  not  do  enough  for  the  settle- 
ment, so  the  northern  part,  omitting  Portsmouth  this  time,  was  incor- 
porated as  a  city.    In  this  way  it  was  able  to  get  a  special  charter  from 


N.  B.   BRADLEY. 

Nathan  B.  Bradley,  the  first  mayor  of 
Bay  City,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  on 
May  28,  1831.  In  1835  the  family  moved 
to  Ohio  where  Nathan  attended  the  com- 
mon schools.  After  finishing  his  schooling, 
at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  began  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  custom  clothier.  He  came  to 
Lower  Saginaw  in  185  8,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  assumed  the  management  of  what 
was'  then  called  the  Frost  and  Bradley 
Mill.  He  gradually  invested  money  in 
many  enterprises  here.  He  was  interested 
in  the  salt  and  lumber  industries,  in  the 
First  National  Bank,  and  in  the  first  street 
railway. 

In  1865,  when  Bay  City  was  incorpora- 
ted as  a  city,  Mr.  Bradley  was  chosen  its 
first  mayor.  In  the  fall  of  1866  he  was 
elected  to  the  state  senate,  and  in  1872  and 
187  4  he  was  elected  to  congress.  While  in 
congress  he  secured  appropriations  for 
dredging  the  channel  of  the  Saginaw  River. 

History    of    Bay    County,    Gansser,    page 

371. 


the  state  by  which  it  was  governed  entirely  separate  from  the  town- 
ship, and  at  the  same  time  had  several  supervisors  of  its  own  to  rep- 
resent the  city  in  the  county  affairs.  The  charter  gave  the  city  many 
special  rights  which  were  not  possible  under  the  village  organization. 
The  city  was  divided  at  first  into  three  wards.  N.  B.  Bradley,  one  of 
our  most  loved  and  respected  citizens,  as  well  as  one  who  was  very 
active  in  helping  to  build  up  the  city  in  every  way,  was  elected  mayor 
on  the  first  Monday  in  April,  1865,  and  with  him  were  elected  men  to 
fill  the  offices  of  recorder  and  treasurer.  Two  aldermen  were  chosen 
from  each  ward  to  form  the  city  council.  For  many  years  the  city  re- 
corder acted  as  police  justice,  deciding  what  should  be  done  with  those 
who  disobeyed  city  ordinances.  The  new  council  appointed  a  street 
commissioner,  city   attorney,  city   marshal,  and    city   surveyor.     Im- 


GOVERNMENT — HISTORY  OF  ITS  ORGANIZATION. 


173 


provements,  such  as  pavements,  graded  streets,  sewers,  water  works, 
and  fire  department,  date  a  few  of  them  from  the  beginning  of  the 
village  organization,  but  most  of  them  from  the  incorporation  of  the 
city. 

At  the  time  Bay  City  was  incorporated  as  a  village,  in  1859,  there 
was  little  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  between  Salzburg  and 
Banks,  except  the  mill  of  the  three  Drake  brothers  that  had  been  built 
in  1851,  and  a  very  few  scattered  houses  and  cabins.  These  included 
a  boarding  house  near  the  mill,  the  residence  of  Captain  Benjamin  F. 


CAPTAIN  BENJAMIN  F.  PIERCE. 

Captain  Benjamin  F.  Pierce  was  born  in 
1814  in  Jefferson  County,  New  York.  He 
came  to  Lower    Saginaw    in    183&,    and  in 

184  6  he  built  the  second  warehouse  in  the 
place.  It  stood  on  the  bank  of  the  river 
near  Third  and  Water  streets,  where  Cap- 
tain Pierce   engaged  in   general  trade.      In 

185  8  he  removed  to  the  west  side.  From 
this  time  on  he  engaged  in  fishing,  farm- 
ing, and  real  estate.  Few  of  the  early 
pioneers  were  better  known.  "Up  the 
shore  a  man  who  doesn't  know  Uncle  Ben 
Pierce  is  looked  upon  with  feelings  of  min- 
gled suspicion  and  pity." — Bay  County  His- 
tory, 1883. 


Pierce,  and  the  cabin  of  John  Hays,  the  ferryman.  These  were  north 
of  Midland  street.  But  with  the  erection  of  the  Sage  arid  McGraw  mill 
south  of  Midland  in  1864,  the  village  of  Lake  City  was  platted,  reach- 
ing from  Wenona  street  to  the  river,  and  from  Midland  to  a  line  300 
feet  south  of  John  street.  The  name  was  changed  to  Wenona  when  it 
was  found  that  there  was  already  a  "Lake  City"  in  Michigan.  So 
rapid  was  the  growth  of  this  new  town  that  it  was  ready  for  incor- 
poration as  a  village  in  1866,  and  a  special  village  charter  was  granted 
by  the  legislature  in  1867.  "The  village  has  scarcely  a  history  apart 
from  the  mill.  Like  Topsy,  in  the  song,  it  was  raised — if  not  on  corn, 
certainly  on  the  sand  which  is  there — and  its  growth  has  been  quite  as 
astonishing.  It  has  no  oldest  inhabitant,  no  old  buildings,  not  an  old 
association,  nor  an  old  land-mark.  Famed  as  the  Saginaw  valley  is 
for  raising  cities,  Wenona  is  yet  a  marvel  to  the  eyes  of  the  Sag- 
inawians ;  not  even  a  Sage  could  have  foretold  that  in  the  short  space 
of  four  years  a  promising  city  would  arise,  containing  twelve  hundred 
inhabitants,  and  all  the  conveniences  of  city  life."  (5) 


(5)      Directory  of  1S6S-1S69,  page  264. 


174        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Other  changes  in  the  county  government  occurred  rapidly  with 
the  development  of  the  lumbering  industry.  Banks,  Essexville — plat- 
ted in  1867  by  Ransom  P.  Essex  and  incorporated  in  1883 — Pincon- 
ning  and  Kawkawlin  were  incorporated  as  people  settled  in  sufficient 
numbers  to  need  village  officers.  Auburn,  unlike  the  others,  did  not 
grow  up  as  a  saw-mill  town,  but  was  from  the  start  an  agricultural 
community  with  the  usual  general  store,  blacksmith  shop,  churches, 
saloon  and  postoffice. 

The  two  original  townships  of  Hampton  and  Williams  were 
divided  again  and  again  as  population  in  the  county  continued  to  in- 
crease. (6)  The  settlers  in  Frankenlust  township,  Saginaw  county, 
carried  on  most  of  their  trade  and  other  business  with  the  villages  in 
Bay  County,  so  in  1881  that  township  was  transferred  to  Bay  County. 
By  that  time  the  people  in  the  northern  part  of  Bay  County  were  quite 
numerous,  and  as  Standish  was  more  easily  reached  by  them  than 
Bay  City,  the  old  County  of  Arenac  was  revived  in  1883,  taking  its 
present  area  from  Bay  County. 

In  1873  Portsmouth  was  reunited  with  Bay  City,  and  in  1877  the 
villages  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  were  united  to  form  the  city  of 
West  Bay  City.  Several  attempts  were  made  to  unite  both  sides  of  the 
river  into  one  city,  the  first  as  early  as  1871.  Other  attempts  were 
made  in  1875  and  1890,  but  they  all  failed  until  1905.  Even  then  the 
opponents,  especially  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  almost  succeeded 
in  preventing  the  union.  In  1903  the  people  voted  to  unite,  and  a 
charter  was  drawn  up  and  accepted  by  the  legislature.  But  before  it 
went  into  effect  the  opponents  hurried  a  "repeal"  bill  through  the  leg- 
islature. This  caused  great  indignation,  and  a  committee  of  business 
men  from  both  sides  of  the  river,  including  W.  D.  Young,  H.  E.  Buck, 
S.  0.  Fisher,  Frank  Handy,  and  many  others,  went  to  Lansing  in  favor 
of  the  "Greater  Bay  City."  Both  sides  presented  their  arguments  to 
Governor  Warner  and  he  decided  to  veto  the  repeal  bill,  allowing  con- 
solidation to  stand.  The  first  election  for  the  united  city  was  held 
April  3,  1905,  when  Gustaves  Hine  was  elected  mayor. 

The  most  recent  efforts  toward  improving  city  government  have 
been  directed  toward  the  adoption  of  a  new  charter  which  would  place 
the  government  in  the  hands  of  a  few  commissioners  elected  from  the 
city  at  large,  instead  of  in  a  large  council  of  aldermen  chosen  by  wards 
as  at  present.  Each  of  these  commissioners  would  be  responsible  for 
one  particular  department,  such  as  Public  Health,  Public  Safety,  and 
Finance.  Salaries,  sufficient  to  interest  capable  men  and  to  enable 
them  to  give  all  of  their  time  to  the  efficient  management  of  the  city 


(6)      See  Appendix  for  list. 


GOVERNMENT — SOME  OF  ITS  ACTIVITIES.  175 

affairs,  would  be  provided.  Provision  would  be  made  for  the  people  to 
^'recall"  unworthy  officials.  They  could  require  certain  questions  to 
be  considered  whether  the  commissioners  desired  it  or  not — this  is 
called  the  "Initiative."  And  they  could  also  compel  the  commissioners 
to  allow  the  people  to  vote  on  certain  proposed  laws  to  see  if  such  laws 
were  really  desired  by  the  city — a  plan  called  the  "Referendum." 
Such  a  charter  would  give  the  people  a  more  direct  voice  in  the  man- 
agement of  city  affairs. 

It  is  felt  by  many  that  the  present  plan  divides  the  responsibility 
for  good  government  between  too  many,  so  that  no  one  person  can  be 
blamed  for  wrong  conditions.  It  is  also  claimed  that  men  elected  from 
the  city  as  a  whole  have  more  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  whole  city 
than  men  elected  to  represent  a  single  ward.  Cities  that  have  adopted 
the  "commission  form  of  government"  have,  provided  the  voters  have 
kept  up  their  interest,  found  it  more  efficient  and  less  costly.  Many 
of  these  cities  have  gone  still  further  and  have  adopted  the  "manager 
plan"  under  which  the  commissioners  serving  for  little  or  no  pay, 
choose  a  general  manager  for  the  city.  They  place  in  full  charge  of 
city  business  one  man  capable  of  directing  all  of  the  work.  They  pay 
him  for  expert  service,  and  require  him  to  get  satisfactory  results. 
This  is  the  method  of  efficient  organization  used  by  the  directors  of  a 
large  company,  such  as  a  bank,  a  factory,  or  a  large  store.  Two  at- 
tempts to  adopt  a  new  charter  have  been  defeated  recently,  but  there 
is  still  a  persistent  demand  for  an  improvement  over  our  present  sys- 
tem of  city  government. 

REFERENCES. 

See  references  for  chapters  XVII  and  XVIII. 

Chapter  XXV. 

GOVERNMENT— SOME  OF  ITS  ACTIVITIES. 

^00^  LL  WORK  that  is  done  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  city  must 

A  7  be  done  either  by  the  city  itself,  or  by  private  companies. 
Such  companies  are  called  "public  service  corporations,"  and 
_  i^^  /  must  get  a  charter  from  the  city  government  telling  them 
^S0^  what  they  can  do,  what  they  must  do,  and  what  they  shall  not 
do.  The  charter  also  states  what  charges  may  be  made  for  the  ser- 
vices given  the  people.  A  general  rule  in  this  respect  is  that  they  must 
give  "good  service  for  which  they  shall  receive  no  more  than  a  reason- 
able profit."  Such  corporations  often  furnish  a  city  with  street  car 
service,  gas,  electricity,  water,  telephone  service,  or  attend  to  other 
things,  such  as  the  disposal  of  garbage,  that  are  necessary  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  whole  city. 


176        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

But  Bay  City  has  for  years  engaged  in  business  for  itself,  a  "de- 
partment" of  the  city  government  taking  charge  of  a  certain  kind  of 
service.  Committees,  many  of  them  with  the  mayor  as  chairman,  and 
made  up  of  several  aldermen,  have  general  direction  of  the  work  of 
departments.  The  detailed  work,  however,  is  carried  on  by  the  various 
employees  in  the  department.  They  are  under  the  direction  of  a 
"chief"  or  "superintendent"  who  is  chosen  by  the  council  or  by  the 
committee  of  the  council  having  general  direction  of  its  work,  unless 
the  charter  provides  for  his  selection  in  some  other  way. 

Many  of  the  improvements  that  have  been  made  in  the  city  in  the 
past  have  been  due  to  the  efforts  of  men  in  these  departments  of  our 
government.  We  have  learned  of  some  of  these  changes,  such  as  street 
pavements,  in  preceding  chapters.  The  activities  of  the  government 
in  some  other  respects  in  the  years  since  Bay  City  received  its  charter 
will  help  us  to  understand  how  important  is  all  of  this  work,  and  we 
will  also  see  how  many  entirely  different  kinds  of  governmental  ac- 
tivity there  are. 

Electric  Light :  The  Gas  Company,  organized  in  1868,  furnished 
light  for  the  city  streets  until  1882,  when  an  electric  light  company 
was  formed  and  the  city  adopted  electric  street  lighting,  purchasing 
the  power  from  the  private  company.  This  was  the  first  city  in 
Michigan  to  use  the  electric  streetlights.  In  1887,  just  thirty  years 
ago,  the  city  bought  the  electric  light  plant  and  has  operated  it  suc- 
cessfully, even  at  a  profit,  since  that  time.  At  first,  besides  the  regular 
street  lights,  towers,  made  of  gas  pipe  and  capped  by  several  powerful 
lamps,  were  used.  There  were  five  of  these  towers  in  different  parts  of 
the  east  side  in  1889,  but  they  were  later  discarded.  They  probably 
failed  to  give  as  good  light  as  the  lower  lamps  on  account  of  the  many 
shade  trees  for  which  Bay  City  has  long  been  noted  and  they  were 
much  more  expensive.  Four  of  the  towers  were  125  feet  high,  and  the 
central  tower  at  the  corner  of  Center  and  Jefferson  streets  was  220 
feet  high — the  highest  in  the  United  States.  It  had  six  lights  of 
4,000  candle  power  each.  This  tower  collapsed  in  a  storm  without 
causing  any  damage  to  persons  or  to  property,  and  it  occurred  at  a 
time  when  the  electric  light  department  was  wondering  how  they 
were  to  get  the  monster  down.  West  Bay  City  did  not  have  municipal 
lighting,  but  was  lighted  by  a  private  company.  Our  present  city  plant 
has  been  improved  and  is  furnishing  electricity  for  the  "White  Way" 
systems  in  the  business  sections  as  well  as  for  the  regular  street  lights. 
Electricity  is  also  furnished  by  the  city  to  the  people  for  light  and 
power  purposes  at  reasonable  rates.  (1) 


(1)      The  Industries  of  the  Bay  Cities,  1S89.     Also  the  Bay  City  Tribune,  Novem- 
ber, 18-87. 


GOVERNMENT — SOME  OF  ITS  ACTIVITIES. 


177 


Sewers :  Although  the  building  of  sewers  began  in  1866  and 
1867,  when  James  Shearer  built  a  private  one  to  his  new  block,  and 
the  city  built  one  a  mile  long  on  Center  avenue,  there  was  not  much 
done  until  about  1880.  The  first  sewers  were  of  wood,  built  in  the 
shape  of  a  box,  which  gave  them  the  name  of  ''box  sewers."  Later, 
brick  and  tile  were  used.  Since  1880  the  sewers  have  been  extended 
each  j^ear  until  at  the  present  time  there  are  160  miles  of  them.  The 
sewerage  system  of  the  west  side  was  started  in  1888. 

Waterworks :  The  waterworks  sys- 
tems of  the  east  and  west  sides  of  the 
river  are  separate.  The  east  side  plant 
was  erected  in  1872  under  the  direction 
of  Superintendent  E.  L.  Dunbar,  who 
continued  in  that  position  for  forty-four 
years,  having  resigned  only  last  year.  A 
large  wooden  pipe  brings  the  water 
from  the  bay  from  a  point  four  miles 
east  of  the  city  at  Oak  Grove.  At  first 
the  wooden  pipes  were  used  throughout 
the  city,  and  as  late  as  1887  there  were 
twenty-four  miles  of  them  in  use  and 
only  four  of  iron.  Today  most  of  the 
wooden  pipe  has  been  replaced  with 
iron.  The  West  Bay  City  plant  was 
erected  in  1881,  the  waterworks  being 
situated  on  the  bay  shore  a  short  dis- 
tance north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw-  E.  L.  dunbar. 
kawlin  river.  It  was  stated  in  1875  in  regard  to  the  east  side  plant 
that  "this  will  give  unlimited  supply  of  absolutely  pure  water  from 
the  broad  bay,  a  source  which  can  never  he  contaminated."  (2)  To- 
day one  of  the  problems  of  most  importance  for  the  protection  of  the 
health  of  the  city  is  that  of  supplying  the  city  with  pure  water.  So 
much  sewage  and  other  waste  material,  such  as  chemicals  from  some 
of  their  factories,  is  deposited  into  the  river  from  the  many  rapidly- 
growing  up-river  cities,  that  the  water  of  the  bay  has  ceased  to  be 
pure,  even  when  obtained  from  the  west  side  plant.  Fortunately, 
however,  there  is  a  supply  of  water  that  is  found  to  be  uniformly  pure 
according  to  tests  made  regularly  by  the  local  and  state  health  de- 
partments; that  has  just  enough  mineral  in  it  to  make  it  pleasing  to 
the  taste;  and  that  is  apparently  inexhaustible.  This  supply  is  in  the 
underlying  rock  layers  and  is  obtained  by  drilling  deep  wells.     The 


(2)      History  of  the  Commercial  Advantages  of  Bay  City,  1S75,  Dow. 


178        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

city  is  already  dotted  with  such  wells.  One  is  at  every  school  house, 
and  when  citizens  in  a  given  locality  wish  to  unite  and  sink  a  well  for 
common  use,  the  city  pays  part  of  the  expense  and  the  contractor  guar- 
antees usable  water.  It  is  also  probable  that  the  city  in  the  near  future 
will  either  erect  a  large  filtration  plant,  as  has  been  done  successfully 
by  many  other  cities  in  a  similar  position,  or  else  will  unite  with  Sag- 
inaw in  a  plan  to  get  the  supply  from  a  safe  distance  from  any  source 
of  waste  material. 

Police  Department:  Another  need  of  the  rapidly  growing  com- 
munity was  that  of  protection  from  the  law-breaker.  This  was  what 
might  be  called  a  frontier  town.  To  the  north  was  wilderness,  and  to 
the  south  it  was  for  some  time  but  very  thinly  settled.  The  men  who 
worked  in  the  lumber  woods  and  made  their  headquarters  here  when 
out  of  employment,  were  strong,  hearty,  and  had  many  admirable 
qualities.  But  there  was  a  roughness  about  many  of  them  that  was 
developed  by  the  sort  of  life  they  led  on  the  frontier.  Quarrels  were 
frequent,  and  serious  fights  were  common  occurrences.  In  addition  to 
this,  despicable  characters  took  up  their  abode  here  because  they  could 
have  a  better  chance  to  carry  on  their  particular  sort  of  dishonest 
occupation  in  a  place  that  was  growing  so  rapidly. 

The  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  made  conditions  still  worse. 
Saloons  were  very  numerous,  and  they  defied  the  law  as  much  as  pos- 
sible. Even  during  the  years  when  prohibition  was  supposed  to  be  in 
effect  in  Michigan,  the  saloons  were  wide  open  and  drunkenness  was 
common.  Men  who  would  work  well  while  sober,  would,  as  soon  as 
they  received  their  wages,  come  to  the  city,  leaving  the  lumber  camp 
short  handed,  and  spend  days  in  drunken  revelry.  Idle  "lumber- 
jacks," and  sailors  who  were  wintering  here,  were  made  as  dangerous 
to  the  peace  and  safety  of  the  public  as  were  the  Indians  before  them 
by  this  same  "fire  water."  These  conditions  encouraged  other  forms 
of  evil,  especially  that  of  gambling.  The  newspapers  of  the  eighties 
call  attention  to  the  amount  of  gambling  done  even  by  young  men  of 
the  best  families — all  under  the  shadow  of  the  saloon.  The  conditions 
are  shown  by  the  report  of  the  chief  of  the  police  department  in  the 
annual  report  of  March,  1887.  There  were  156  saloons,  or  one  for 
every  180  persons  living  in  the  city,  counting  the  men,  women  and 
children.  Out  of  a  total  of  737  arrests,  559,  or  about  75%,  were 
directly  chargeable  to  the  liquor  traffic.  About  one-third  of  the  saloon 
keepers  in  the  city  were  arrested  during  the  year. 

To  handle  these  and  other  problems  in  upholding  the  law,  a  good 
police  department  was  needed.    That  the  conditions   existed,   was  not 


GOVERNMENT — SOME  OF  ITS  ACTIVITIES. 


179 


the  fault  of  the  police^  but  they  made  the  work  of  the  police  depart- 
ment very  necessary  and  particularly  difficult.  Early  accounts  show 
that  the  department  was  hindered  in  its  work  by  politics.  Men  could 
be  dropped  from  the  police  force  through  the  influence  of  some  politi- 
cian or  councilman,  appointments  could  be  obtained  in  the  same  man- 
ner, and  a  change  of  the  party  in  control  of  the  city  might  cause  a  com- 
plete change  in  the  police  force.  But  many  years  ago  the  department 
was  put  on  a  civil  service  basis.  Since  then  men  have  had  to  pass  an 
examination  in  order  to  get  on  the  force,  and  they  are  secure  in  their 
position  so  long  as  satisfactory  service  is  given. 

"N.  N.  Murphy  began  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  as  patrolman 
in  1877,  when  a  desperate  class  of  men  made  Bay  City  their  rendez- 
vous. He  served  the  city  faithfully  and  the  occasions  were  often  when 
he  displayed  his  courage  and  shrewdness  as  an  officer."  He  was  made 
chief  in  1881,  and  held  the  position  for  thirty-two  years.  He  retired  in 
1912,  but  in  order  to  still  have  the  use  of  his  experience  and  skill  in 
dealing  with  criminals,  the  city  has  made  him  Chief  of  Detectives. 


The  Michigan  Pipe  Works  on  Fire. 


180        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Fire  Department:  The  presence  of  so  much  wood  materials  of 
all  kinds — much  of  it  sawdust,  chips,  and  dry  slabs — ^made  fires  very 
frequent.  The  wooden  saw  mills  and  the  lumber  piles  caused  the  fires 
to  spread  with  great  rapidity  and  made  them  very  difficult  to  stop 
when  once  started.  Fires  in  the  business  section  also  caused  consider- 
able damage. 

The  first  fire  of  much  size  occurred  in  1863.  It  began  at  Center 
and  Saginaw  streets  and  spread  to  Seventh  on  the  south,  and  west  to 
the  river.  In  1865  another  fire  on  the  opposite  side  of  Center  burned 
the  block  between  Center,  Saginaw,  Fifth  and  Water  streets,  with  the 
single  exception  of  Arnold's  bakery  and  residence.  These  two  disas- 
ters showed  the  necessity  of  having  fire  limits,  and  after  the  second 
one,  the  erection  of  frame  buildings  in  the  business  section  of  the  city 
was  forbidden. 

In  1871  there  was  a  serious  fire  in  Portsmouth,  and  in  1878  the 
worst  fire  in  the  city  up  to  that  time  wiped  out  about  four  solid  blocks. 
This  began  at  the  foot  of  Eleventh  street  and  was  carried  toward  the 
northeast  by  a  southwest  gale.  It  destroyed  a  great  deal  of  lumber, 
and  many  houses  located  between  Water  and  Washington  streets  from 
Eighth  to  Eleventh  streets.  There  was  a  loss  of  about  $180,000,  which 
was  very  great  considering  the  size  of  Bay  City  at  that  time.  (3)  In 
1881  a  serious  fire  occurred  in  West  Bay  City  between  Lynn  and  Wal- 
nut streets  on  Midland,  causing  a  loss  of  about  $90,000.  The  worst 
fire  in  the  history  of  the  city  occurred  in  the  south  end,  July  25,  1892, 
"which  wiped  out  all  the  mills,  stores,  and  homes  from  the  river  to 
Jennison  street,  and  from  Twenty-eighth  to  Thirty-second  streets." 

The  following  account  is  made  up  of  extracts  from  the  Bay  City 
Tribune : 

"The  most  disastrous  fire  that  ever  visited  Bay  City  broke  out  at 
2  o'clock  yesterday  afternoon  in  the  lumber  piles  south  of  Miller  & 
Turner's  mill,  at  the  foot  of  Thirty-first  street,  and  raged  for  five 
hours  almost  unchecked.  The  wind  was  blowing  a  gale  from  the  south- 
west and  under  its  influence  the  fire  went  through  the  dry  frame  struc- 
tures like  a  whirlwind. 

"For  blocks  around  people  began  moving  their  household  goods  to 
places  of  safety,  using  drays,  buggies,  wheelbarrows  and  hand  carts. 
Calls  for  help  were  sent  by  Chief  Harding  to  other  places  and  soon  the 
entire  West  Bay  City  fire  department,  two  hose   carts   and  a  steamer 


(3)      For  accounts  of  these  fires,  see  Bay  County  History,  1883,  pages  100  to  103. 


GOVERNMENT — SOME  OF  ITS  ACTIVITIES.  181 

from  Saginaw,  and  a  company  and  apparatus  from  Flint,  were  on  the 
scene  and  gave  very  valuable  aid.  But  there  was  no  such  thing  as  stop- 
ping the  conflagration.  The  very  air  seemed  to  be  burning.  The 
streams  of  water  turned  into  steam  before  they  struck  the  buildings. 
Huge  clouds  of  dust  raised  by  the  gale  took  fire  as  they  dashed  along 
the  streets.  It  seemed  as  if  a  hundred  cyclones  had  let  loose  and  were 
carrying  the  flames  onward,  upward,  and  everywhere. 

"Some  idea  of  the  terrible  heat  may  be  gained  from  the  fact  that 
for  hundreds  of  feet  the  center  had  been  burned  out  of  the  paving 
blocks,  leaving  only  a  thin  outside  covering.  Rails  in  the  street  rail- 
way tracks  had  been  warped  and  twisted  out  of  shape  for  several 
blocks." 

Jesse  M.  Miller,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  was  burned 
to  death  while  trying  to  save  his  property.  Property  losses,  including 
4,000  feet  of  fire  hose,  amounted  to  a  million  dollars  or  more.  When 
the  fire  was  conquered  after  the  wind  had  gone  down  with  the  sun, 
over  thirty  blocks,  including  about  350  buildings,  had  been  burned. 
About  300  families  were  homeless,  and  there  was  much  suffering  in 
spite  of  the  prompt  relief  measures  that  were  begun  the  same  night 
by  the  Common  Council  and  citizens  in  general. 

"Bay  City's  first  fire  com- 
pany was  organized  in  1859.  Its 
engine  'Try  Us,'  a  small  tub 
of  a  machine,  was  bought  with 
money  raised  by  popular  sub- 
scription." (Leather  hose  for 
use  with  the  hand  engine  was 
borrowed,  and  a  triangle  alarm 

was  obtained.     Until  about  1876  ''Trv  Us" 1859 

the   firemen    were   volunteers.) 

"In  1861  a  hand  engine  called  the  Tiger  was  purchased  and  later  sold 
to  the  village  of  Sebewaing.  Then  $1,000  was  raised  by  bonding  the 
city  for  the  purchase  of  another  hand  engine  and  a  hose  cart.  The 
name  of  the  engine  was  'Red  Rover,'  and  its  home  was  in  a  wooden 
structure  on  Saginaw  street.  H.  M.  Bradley  was  the  city's  first  chief 
engineer.  He  was  appointed  in  1861.  At  the  fire  of  1863  the  Red 
Rover  company  attempted  to  pass  the  flames  above  Sixth  street.  The 
engine  was  being  pulled  by  a  line  of  about  sixty  men,  and  those  ahead 
in  rushing  forward  got  into  more  heat  than  they  could  stand.  They 
suddenly  turned  to  the  west,  and  the  result  was  that  the  engine  and 
hose  tumbled  over  the  bank  and  were  allowed  to  burn  where  they  lay. 
This  left  the  city  without  any  protection  whatever."     In  those  times. 


182 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


if  the  fire  was  some  distance  away,  the  first  horse  that  came  along- 
was  hitched  to  the  engine  and  was  made  to  pull  it  to  the  fire.  "Fires 
were  of  so  often  an  occurrence  that  the  council  issued  bonds  to  the 
extent  of  $6,000  to  procure  more  apparatus,  and  a  sufficient  amount 
was  ordered  to  be  spent  in  a  steam  fire  engine  which,  however,  was 
not  done  for  several  years.  Five  hundred  dollars  were  also  appro- 
priated at  that  time  to  repair  or  rebuild  the  'Red  Rover.'  " 


Neptune  Company — 1866.    Picture  Taken  at  Center  and  Washington. 


"In  1866  (probably  as  a  result  of  the  second  big  fire,  which  occur- 
red in  the  preceding  fall)  the  steamer  Neptune  was  bought  at  a  cost 
of  $6,000,  and  about  1873  Portsmouth  and  Wenona  purchased  steam 
engines.  When  the  waterworks  were  installed,  the  engines  were  not 
needed,  and  were  replaced  with  hose  carts.  Electric  fire  alarm  boxes 
were  installed  in  1876,  which  was  a  great  improvement.  The  chief 
engineer  was  then  paid  but  $300  a  year  for  his  services.  T.  K.  Hard- 
ing, who  had  been  on  the  force  most  of  the  time  since  about  1867,  be- 
came chief  in  1883.  The  affairs  of  the  department  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Chief  Harding  have  been  most  satisfactory  to  all,  and  to  him 
is  largely  due  the  reputation  the  Bay  City  Fire  Department  has  won 
for  itself  outside,  that  of  being  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  efficient  in 
the  country. 


GOVERNMENT — SOME  OF  ITS  ACTIVITIES. 


183 


Chief  T.  K.  Harding. 


"An  old  fireman  tells  of  the  following  incident:  'I  remembei* 
when  Chief  Harding  was  on  the  steep  roof  of  a  burning  building  at 
Water  and  First  streets  and  began  slipping  toward  the  edge  into  the 
flames.  Harvey  Watkins  threw  him  an  axe,  and  Harding  drove  it  into 
the  roof  just  in  time  to  save  himself.  As  it  was,  his  boots  were  burned 
off  him  and  his  escape  from  death  was  a  miracle.'  He  is  recognized  as 
an  authority  on  fire  appliances  among  the  fire  chiefs  of  the  big  cities 
of  this  country. 

"The  manner  in  which  Chief  Harding  handled  the  big  fires  that 
have  occurred  here  since  his  reign,  and  the  sudden  way  in   which  he 


184 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


stopped  others  that  might  have  developed  into  disastrous  conflagra- 
tions, stands  out  as  evidence  of  his  abihty.  The  chief  is  popular  with 
his  men  as  well  as  with  the  general  public,  and  he  has  never  been 
known  to  ask  a  fireman  under  him  to  venture  where  he  would  not  go 
himself."  (4)  It  is  said  that  Chief  Harding  invented  his  own  method 
of  fighting  fires  in  the  lumber  yards.  He  would  nail  boards  close  to- 
gether against  the  sides  of  the  piles  to  prevent  the  flames  from  getting 
a  start  in  the  openings,  and  then  he  would  keep  the  lumber  drenched 
with  water.    He  remained  chief  until  his  death  in  1912. 

The  city  was  fortunate  in  having  three  such  faithful  and  efficient 
men  in  charge  of  important  departments  as  E.  L.  Dunbar,  N.  N.  Mur- 
phy, and  T.  K.  Harding.  Today  the  city  has  an  excellent  fire  equip- 
ment of  the  most  modern  automobile  fire  trucks.  The  time  saved  by 
these  machines  in  reaching  a  fire  often  prevents  what  might  otherwise 
be  a  disaster. 


Bay  City's  Modern  Fire  Apparatus. 


Public  Libraries :  The  state  law  has  long  provided  that  certain 
fines  in  the  local  courts  shall  be  paid  to  the  school  district  for  use  as  a 
library  fund.  In  1874  this  fund  in  Bay  City,  amounting  to  nearly 
$3,000,  was  employed  to  start  a  public  library.  A  private  library  asso- 
ciation that  had  been  started  in  1869,  on  account  of  this  action  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  donated  their  books  to  the  public  library.    As  a 


(4)      Quotations  are  from  the  Bay  City  Times,  March  19,   1899. 


GOVERNMENT — SOME  OF  ITS  ACTIVITIES. 


185 


result  of  a  law  passed  by  the  state  leg-islature  in  1878,  the  library  is 
governed  by  what  is  called  a  Library  Board  chosen  by  the  Board  of 
Education. 

At  first  the  library  was  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Averill  block 
on  Center  avenue.  Later  it  was  located  on  Washington,  between 
to  the  rear  of  the  opera  house,  where  it  remained  until  rooms  were 
provided  in  the  new  City  Hall  about  1895. 

A  library  fund  similar  to  that  used  in  founding  the  east  side 
library,  was  used  to  start  a  public  library  in  the  village  of  Wenona, 
and  in  that  same  year  of  1874.  But  ten  years  later  West  Bay  City 
Center  and  Sixth  streets,  and  then  it  was  moved  to  Sixth  and  Adams, 

received  an  invaluable  gift  from  the  founder  of  Wenona,  Mr.  H.  W. 
Sage.  The  gift  consisted  of  the  site  and  building  of  the  present  Sage 
Library,  together  with  the  furniture  and  $10,000  worth  of  books.  It 
is  one  of  the  few  gifts  that  Bay  City  has  received,  and  is  one  the  value 
of  which  will  continue  to  grow  with  the  passing  years. 

Public  Education:  Before  Bay  City  was  incorporated,  the 
schools  were  organized  as  district  schools  under  the  state  system,  as 
are  the  schools  of  Essexville,  Pinconning  and  the  other  villages  today. 
The  first  district  was  organized  in 
1842  with  Sidney  S.  Campbell, 
Thomas  Rogers,  and  Cromwell  Bar- 
ney forming  the  board  of  directors. 
Schools  were  opened  in  both  Ports- 
mouth and  Lower  Saginaw  in  the 
next  year — ^the  Portsmouth  school  in 
a  house  that  was  later  used  as  a  resi- 
dence by  Judge  Albert  Miller  at 
Fremont  and  Water  streets,  and  the  Lower  Saginaw  school  in  a  private 
house  at  Twelfth  and  Water  streets.  Miss  Clark  was  teacher  in  the 
Lower  Saginaw  school  and  David  Smith  in  that  of  Portsmouth. 
There  were  about  six  or  eight  pupils  in  each. 

In  1844  a  new  district  was  formed,  including  the  land  near  the 
river  on  both  sides,  and  extending  south  to  Twenty-second  street.  A 
schoolhouse,  the  first  building  erected  for  school  purposes  in  the 
county,  was  built  at  First  and  Washington  streets  at  a  cost  of  $200. 
Miss  A.  E.  Robinson  was  the  first  teacher.  (5)  She  was  paid  $1.50 
per  week  and  was  furnished  her  board  and  room  by  the  "boarding 
round"  method  by  which  each  family  with  children  in  the  school  fur- 


First  School  in  Lower  Saginaw, 
1844. 


186 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


nished  her  with  food  and  a  bed  for  a  given  length  of  time  each  term. 
The  school  building  was  used  for  public  meetings  of  all  kinds,  and 
later,  when  discarded  for  school  use,  it  was  used  for  a  boarding  house 
by  the  Pitts  and  Company's  mill. 

In  country  dis- 
tricts the  first 
school  building  was 
usually  the  inexpen- 
sive log  school 
house,  but  these 
have  all  disappear- 
ed, and  today  the 
district  schools  of 
Bay  County  include 
some  of  the  best  in 
Michigan.  Our  dis- 
tricts in  most  of  the 
county  are  so  popu- 
lated that  they  have 
more  children  of 
school  age  than  is 
the  average  for  the 

state.  The  Primary  School  Fund  of  the  state  is  paid  to  districts  on  the 
basis  of  the  number  of  children  of  school  age,  and  is  used  for  teachers' 
salaries.  This  is  such  a  help  that  the  salaries  of  teachers  in  our  coun- 
try schools  average  higher  than  those  of  teachers  in  many  other  parts 
of  the  state.  This  help,  combined  with  the  fact  that  our  farms  are 
very  valuable,  make  it  possible  to  furnish  the  well  built  schools  with 
the  best  of  equipment.  Many  have  modern  ventilating  and  heating 
plants,  inside  toilets,  and  play  rooms  in  the  basement.  Some  have 
separate  rooms  for  their  libraries,  and  a  number  have  two  or  more 
school  rooms  to  accommodate  the  large  enrollment.  Other  improve- 
ments to  be  found  in  our  newer  district  schools  are:  Slate  black- 
boards; seats  and  desks  that  can  be  adjusted  to  the  size  of  each  pupil; 
windows  arranged  on  a  single  side  of  the  room  and  equipped  with 
light  colored  shades  adjustable  from  the  top  and  bottom,  thus  pro- 
tecting the  eyes  of  our  children  from  the  evils  of  cross  lights  and 
shadows  and  from  the  direct  glare  of  the  sun,  and  yet  allowing  plenty 
of  light  to  enter  the  room ;  and  auditoriums  large  enough  for  district 
meetings  and  school  entertainments.  The  supervision  of  Bay  County 
schools  has,  for  the  past  fourteen  years,  been  done  in  an  energetic  and 
efficient  manner  by  School  Commissioner  J.  B.  Laing. 


The  last  Log  School  in  Bay  County,  District  No.  4,  in 

Mount  Forest  Township.     It  was  discarded 

about  ten  years  ago. 


(5)      Saginaw  Valley  Directory  for  1866  to  1867,  page  58. 


GOVERNMENT — SOME  OF  ITS  ACTIVITIES. 


187 


For  years  the  management  of  the  schools  of  Bay  City  was  in  the 
hands  of  a  board  of  education  chosen  by  the  common  council  of  the 
city.  (6)  Such  a  plan  is  claimed  to  encourage  politicians  to  try  to  use 
the  school  system  for  their  own  personal  benefit,  and  so  the  Board  of 
Education  has  long  been  separate  from  the  rest  of  the  city  govern- 
ment, except  that  its  funds  are  raised  by  taxation  through  the  reg- 
ular city  officers,  and  the  Board  of  Estimates  must  approve  the  bud- 
get of  the  Board  of  Education. 

When  Bay  City  was  incorporated  in  1865,  it  was  growing  so 
rapidly  that  it  was  very  difficult  to  provide  buildings  for  all  of  the 
children.  The  school  on  Adams  street,  now  the  Salvation  Army  bar- 
racks, had  been  erected  ita  1854  and  was  still  in  use.  In  fact,  it  was 
used  for  many  years  after  that.  It  was  called  the  Central  School,  and 
the  children  of  our  pioneers  had  much  of  their  early  education  in  this 
building,  under  P.  S.  Heisordt  as  principal.  Many  of  our  citizens  to- 
day were  among  those  children.  The  directory  of  1866  lists  two 
schools,  the  one  just  mentioned  and  another  at  510  South  Saginaw 
street  (numbering  from  First  street.)  Two  years  later  there  were 
four  schools,  one  for  each  ward,  with  about  1400  children  of  school 
age,  and  the  new  high  school  building,   now  the   venerable  Farragut, 


Farragut  School— High  School  of  1868. 


(6)      History  of  the  Commercial  Advantages  of  Bay  City,  1S75,  Dow,  page  25. 


188        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

was  in  process  of  erection  by  George  Campbell,  who  erected  many  of 
our  present  buildings,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.  "Erected  at  so  early  a  period 
in  the  history  of  the  city,  it  will  mark  the  progress  of  the  cause  of 
education  in  this  state,  and  the  importance  attached  to  it."  (7)  The 
only  unfavorable  thing  mentioned  in  regard  to  the  school  was  that  it 
was  too  far  out  toward  the  country. 

In  1867  Bay  City  was  made  a  Union  School  District,  and  a  Board 
of  Education  was  chosen.  Peter  S.  Heisordt,  who  had  been  principal 
since  1862,  became  superintendent  in  1868.  D.  C.  Schoville  became 
superintendent  April  1,  1869,  when  the  new  high  school  was  opened 
for  use.  He  immediately  began  to  institute  the  graded  system  in  the 
schools,  which  was  the  same  plan  that  is  in  use  today,  four  years  for 
each  department,  the  primary,  grammar,  and  high  school.  (8)  By 
1882  a  new  high  school  was  erected  and  the  old  one  became  one  of  the 
grade  schools.  In  West  Bay  City  the  first  school  was  built  on  Litch- 
field street  on  a  site  presented  by  Captain  B.  F.  Pierce.  Later,  on  the 
present  site  of  Wm.  H.  Tomlinson's  store  at  Williams  and  Midland 
streets,  a  frame  building  was  used  for  school  purposes  until  the  present 


Western  High  School,  1868. 

Western  High  School  was  erected  as  a  Union  School  as  a  result  of  the 
efforts  of  J.  A.  McKnight.  It  was  opened  January  27,  1868,  with  A.  L. 
Cumming  as  superintendent.  After  the  erection  of  the  Sage  Library 
in  1883  the  high  school  held  its  sessions  there,  while  the  superintend- 
ent's office  was  on  the  third  floor  of  the  library  building  for  many 
years. 

For  many  years  the  high  schools  of  Bay  City  were  among  the  few 
in  the  country  to  have  a  single  session,  but  it  has  been  found  best  to 
adopt  the  more  common  two  session  plan.    Manual  training  was  given 


(7)  Directory  for  1868-1869,  page  59. 

(8)  Since  this  time  there  have  been  but  four  superintendents — S.   W.  Merrill,  J. 
A.  Stewart,  E.  E.  Ferguson  and  F.  A.  Gause. 


GOVERNMENT— SOME  OF  ITS  ACTIVITIES. 


189 


Bay  City's  "New  High  School"— 1883. 


in  our  high  school  at  a  time  when  few  schools  in  the  country  had  such 
a  course.  The  training  school  was  begun  in  1877  and  for  thirty-five 
years  the  great  majority  of  the  teachers  in  our  schools  were  chosen 
from  its  graduates.  The  development  of  the  state  system  of  well 
equipped  normal  schools  made  it  unwise  to  continue  the  local  training 
school. 

For  years  school  buildings  were  erected  at  very  frequent  intervals, 
either  to  start  a  new  school  district,  or  to  replace  a  school  building, 
that  had  outlived  its  usefulness.  For  the  past  ten  years,  however,  this 
building  program  has  been  discontinued  (9),  although  the  steady  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  school  pupils  (10)  and  the  changes  demanded 
by  new  standards  in  education,  make  the  present  equipment  insuffi- 
cient and  far  out  of  date.  The  Eastern  High  School  is  overcrowded 
in  spite  of  the  many  additions ;  Western  High  School  after  fifty  years 
of  service,  is  overcrowded,  poorly  equipped,  and  unsafe ;  and  many  of 
the  schools  have  had  to  make  use  of  space  in  the  basements  and  in 
near-by  houses  to  accommodate  all  of  the  children.  Not  a  school  in 
Bay  City  has  more  than  one  or  two  of  the  improvements  mentioned  in 
connection  with  the  new  rural  schools  of  the  county.  A  plan  for  bor- 
rowing money  to  erect  a  new  central  high  school  was  defeated  in  1916, 


(9)  The  Woodside  school,  the  newest  building  on  the  east  side,  was  occupied  In 
1906,  and  the  McKinley,  the  newest  in  the  city,  in  1908. 

(10)  The  average  attendance  in  1917  is  about  10%   greater  than  In  1908. 


190        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

but  the  Board  of  Education  has  a  building  program  planned  now 
which,  if  adopted  by  the  people,  will  give  the  city  in  the  course  of  ten 
years  a  school  plant  that  will  meet  present-day  demands  in  every 
detail.  In  the  meantime  every  effort  is  being  made  to  make  the  schools 
as  efficient  as  possible  in  the  buildings  and  with  the  equipment  we 
have.  Among  the  most  recent  improvements  are :  the  reorganization 
of  the  Board  of  Education  along  the  best  business  lines ;  the  introduc- 
tion of  medical  inspection ;  the  opening  of  several  rooms  where  pupils 
who,  through  no  fault  of  their  own,  have  fallen  three  years  or  more 
below  the  proper  grade,  may  receive  special  training  that  is  suited  to 
their  individual  needs;  and  the  establishment  of  an  efficiency  depart- 
ment which  tests  the  actual  results  of  the  teaching  being  done  in  the 
grade  schools. 

A  bright  future  for  Bay  City  seems  assured.  The  location,  with 
its  many  advantages,  is  already  determined.  Further  progress  must 
depend  in  large  measure  on  the  progressive  attitude  of  the  people.  The 
energetic  Board  of  Commerce  is  encouraging  the  development  of  the 
various  industries.  The  Board  of  Education  is  planning  for  a  modem 
school  equipment.  Improvements  in  the  city  government  seem  certain 
of  adoption  before  very  long.  In  short,  there  has  been  wonderful 
progress  made  in  the  past,  and  plans  are  being  advanced  which  will 
extend  this  progress  into  the  future  and  make  Bay  City  continue  to  be 
a  very  desirable  place  in  which  to  live. 

"NOW,  ALL  TOGETHER." 


APPENDIX.  191 


REFERENCES  TO  THE 
MICHIGAN  PIONEER  AND  HISTORICAL  COLLECTIONS. 

Throughout  the  book,  references  are  made  to  these  books  merely  by  giving 
the  volume  and  page — VI-350;  XX-701,  etc. 

SAGINAW — ORIGIN  AND  MEANING  OP  NAME. 

VI.      350. 
XX.      701. 

XXXVIII.  452. 

VEGETATION. 

III.      189-201.      Geological  Expedition,  1837. 

VI.  113.      Wild  rice  and  the  Indians. 

VII.  254.-258      Fruit. 

312.      At  Lower  Saginaw,  18  60. 
XXIX.      204.      Introduction  of  the  sugar  beet. 
XXXII.      3  54-3  60.      The  Early  Flora  and  Fauna  of  Michigan. 

XXXIX.  253. 

See  also  under  Indians:     Agriculture. 

ANIMALS. 

I.  403-406.      In  Wayne  County  and  Michigan. 

III.      192,  In  Saginaw  Valley;    195,  197,  wild  duck;    199,    gulls    and  stur- 
geon;  604,  blackbirds. 
V.      3  00,  Mosquitoes. 

VII.  9  7,    98,   237,   Fish;    245,  mosquitoes,   blackbirds;     3  95,    bears;     253, 

beaver. 

VIII.  253,  Beaver-habits. 

XXIX.      665,  Birds  nesting  in  the  open. 

XXXII.      23  6.      Early  Animals,  by  Beal;    3  54-3  60.     The  Early    Flora    and 
Fauna  of  Michigan   (358-360,  animals,  is  good.) 

INDIANS — MOUNDS  AND  MOUND  BUILDERS.  . 

II.  21.      Ancient  Garden  Beds  in  Michigan. 

40.      Mound  Builders  in  Michigan. 

III.  41.      Mound  Builders  of  Michigan  and  the  United  States. 

202.      Mound  Builders  in  Michigan. 

IV.  3  79.      Mounds  in  the  Saginaw  Valley. 
XXVIL      33  4. 

XXXI.  238-252.      Antiquities  of  Michigan — Mounds,  etc. 

XXXII.  16.      Mound  Builders;;    275,  Mounds  in  Shiawassee  County. 
XXXIX.      2  51-2  60.      Saginaw  County  Aborigines,  especially  25  4. 

INDIANS — SAUKS. 

III.      648.      Champlain  visited  Sacs  near  Saginaw  Bay. 

VII.  13  6.      Cultivated  corn. 

VIII.  248-250.      Valley  Haunted  by  Sauks. 
XIII.      376.      Battle  of  Skull  Island. 

XVI.      713.      Sauks  forced  west  to  Mississippi  River. 

72  7.      Sauks — Home  in  Wisconsin. 
292.      Received  notice  of  close  of  war  of  1812. 
XXIII.      97.      Sauks  of  Mississippi  region  forced  into  the  war  of  1812  by 

the  English. 
XXVIII.      Sauks — By  H.  I.  Smith,  of  Saginaw. 

XXXIV.  68.      Sauks — Location,  meaning  of  name,  character. 

XXXV.  3  63.      Sauks  mentioned  in  article  on  Flint. 

XXXVIII.  452.      Origin  of  name  Saginaw. 

XXXIX.  255. 


192        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


INDIANS — SAGINAW  VALLEY. 

II.      4  62.      Village  at  mouth  of  river. 
IV.      3  7  6-3  7  9,  Neh-way-go. 

VII.  9  6.      Village  on  Bay  Shore;    132-13  9,  Ne-war-go; 

141,  142,  O-ge-ma-ke-ke-to. 

VIII.  248-25  0.      Superstitions; 

253,  Legend  of  Beaver's  tail; 

255.  O-ke-ma-ke-ke-to  and  his  liver. 

X.      13  4.      Legends  of  Indian  History  in  Saginaw  Valley. 
147.      Chippewas  in  Saginaw^  Valley,  1822. 

XXXIII.      436.      498,  Provisions  sent  Saginaw  Indians  from  Detroit,  1708. 
Aid  French  against  English,  1711. 

XXXVI.      35  7,  Hull  sends  flag  to  the  Indians  on  the  Saguina. 

5  97,  Saginaw  Indians  destitute  after  the  war  of  1812. 

XXXIX.      251-2  60.      Saginaw  County  Aborigines. 

Also  see  items  on  Pioneer  Life;  History  Sketches,  etc. 

Troublesome: 

II.      462.      Chief  Kis-Kaw-Kaw   (Sac  by  birth),  village  at  mouth  of  river — 
Whiting,  1823. 

VIII.      244-248.      Indians  most  dangerous,  182  8. 

274,  286,  310,  313,  329,  351,  Saginaw  Indians  in  Pontiac's  Con- 
spiracy, 1763. 

X.  148.      Under  British  influence  in  War  of  1812. 

XI.  483.      Sagana  Indians  noted  among  British  for  misbehavior. 

Murder  of  Englishmen  from  Detroit.     (Letter  written,  1786.) 
XIII.      33  7.      "The  whole  country  was  afraid  of  the  Saginaw  Indians"  about 
1827. 

5  03.  Witherell's  Reminiscences,  1853.  Account  of  capture  of 
Archie  McMillan  by  Saginaw  Indians  at  Detroit,  1814,  and  his 
rescue  by  General  Cass  and  Captain  Knaggs. 

XV.  245.      Saginaw  Indians  and  the  English  in  War  of  1812. 

251.      English  use  Indians  against  Americans,  1812. 

XVI.  335,  292.      Notice  of  Peace  of  1815  sent  to  Sagana  Indians. 

346,  348,  349.      Sagana  Indians  called  English  Indians,  1815. 

XVII.  447.      Pontiac's  Conspiracy. 

XIX.      248.      Indians  of  Sagena  return  prisoners  they  had  taken,  1764. 

256.  Trouble  with  Sagena  Bay  Indians,  1764. 

300,  301.      Saguinagh  Indians  murder  Englishmen  at  instigation 

of  French,  1773. 
XXXIII.      5  8  6.      Indians  must  not  expect  any  missionary  will  go  and  live 

among  them  at  Saguina,  1717. 
XXXVIII.      582-5  84.      Saginaw  Indians  cause  trouble  near  Port  Huron  in 

1§26. 
Treaties. 

II.  85.      Captain  Marsac  interpreter  at  Treaty  of  Saginaw,  1819. 

III.  432.      Treaty  of  1819.     Jacob  Smith's  Reservation  at  Flint. 

VII.  2  62.      Treaty  of  Saginaw — E.  S.  Williams. 

VIII.  2.      Treaty  of  1819. 

XIII.      337,  3  53.      John  Riley — Reservations. 

XXVI.      274-297.      Cession  of  Indian  Lands  to  the  United  States  by  Treaties. 

Ex.  Gov.  Felch;   283,  1819;  286,  1837. 

517-534,  Treaty  of  Saginaw — W.  L.  Weber. 
XXVIII.      10  6.      Treaties  of  1819  and  183  7. 

XXXVI.  43  0.      Letter  of  Gov.  Cass    concerning    provisions    in    Treaty  of 
1819. 

XXXVII.  2  62.      Treaty  of  Saginaw — Provisions  about  payments  and  reser- 
vations. 

XXXVIII.  547.      By  G.  N.  Fuller. 

XXXIX.  257.      Treaty  of  1819.     Reservations. 
Agriculture. 

II.      487.      Indian  agriculture. 

VII.      254-258.      Possible  origin  of  fruit  trees. 

IX.  362.      Corn  from  Indians  of  Saginaw  Valley,  1780. 

420.      Price  of  the  corn  purchased. 

381.      A.  S.  DePeyster    sent  to  Saguina    for  600    bushels  of  corn 

from  the  Indians,  1779. 


APPENDIX.  193 

I 
XVII.      448.      Cultivation  of  corn  in  valley,  1779. 

XXXIII.  270.  Ten  boats  from  Michilimackinac  look  for  food  at  Saguinan, 
1706. 

XXXVI.  454.      Saginaw  Indians  taught  farming. 
Missions. 

IV.  29-32.      382.      Missionaries  and  Indians,  1850. 

XXII.      244-246.      Early  French  Missions  on  the  Saginaw — Fred  Carlisle. 
XXXIII.      586.      Indians  must  not  expect  missionary  at  Saguina,  1717. 
Miscellaneous  Indian  references. 

V.  495.      Old  Mother  Rodd. 

VII.      277.      Meaning  of  Indian  Names. 

X.  484,  496,  579-581,  632.  Presents  for  the  Indians.  Detroit  and  Michi- 
limackinac, 1781  and  1782. 

XXIX.  697.      Michigan  Indians. 

XXXII.      313-327.      Indian   (Ojibway  or  Chippeway)   stories  and  legends. 

3  92.      Legend  of  Indian  Summer. 

FURS  AND  FUR  TRADING. 

II.  487.      Fur  trading  with  the  Indians  of  Saginaw. 

III.  58,  193,  316,  603.     American  Fur  Company  and  the  Sloop  Savage. 

V.  140.      Fur  trading  on  the  Saginaw  River,  1819. 

VI.  3  43.      American  Fur  Company. 

VII.  23  9.      American  Fur  Company,  station  at  Saginaw. 

VIII.  244.      Trading  in  1828. 

245.      Furs  obtained. 

253.      Fur  trading  trip  from  Saginaw  to  Thunder  Bay. 
258.      Quantity  and  price  of  furs. 
XL      4  61-4  65.      Fur  Trading  in  Michigan  in  1785. 

XVII.  448.      Furs. 

XXX.  174.      Indians  and  fur  trading  post  at  Saginaw. 

XXXVII.  3  09-311.      Goods  used  in  trade  with  the  Indians. 
133-207.      Letters  of  the  Fur  Trade,  written  in  1833. 

SAGINAW  VALLEY  AND  BAY  MENTIONED  AND  VISITED  IN  EARLY  TIMES. 

Unfavorable  reports. 

IL      400.      Morse's  Geography  about  1830. 

4  60.      Health  Conditions  in  Saginaw  Valley  reported  bad. 

IV.  117.      Health. 

VI.      108.      Tradition  of  Central  Michigan — Impenetrable  Swamp. 

IX.  102.      Saginaw  Bay  "a  gulf  of  terror"  in  early  days. 

X.  61.      Surveyors'  report,  1815.     Michigan  all  swamps. 

XIII.  3.      Morse's  Goegraphy. 

XVIII.  660,  6  61.     Surveyor's  Report,  1815. 

XXXVI.  43  0.  Land  between  Fort  Gratiot  (near  Port  Huron)  and  the 
Saginaw  Bay,  that  is  the  "Thumb,"  said  by  Gov.  Cass  to  be  worth- 
less. 

Region  mentioned  or  visited. 

III.      648.      Champlain  visited  Sacs  near  Saginaw  Bay,  1611-1612. 

VI.      35  0.      Baye  de  Saguina — ^DeLisle's  map,  1703. 
Baye  Saguinan — DeLisle's  map,  1718. 
Coxe  called  it  Sakinam. 

VIII.  461.      Amsterdam  to  Saginaw,  1757. 

IX.  578.      A  Mr.  Fisher  wintered  here  in  1780. 

XIV.  651-6  68.      Early  French  Occupation  of  Michigan — D.  L.  Grossman. 

655.      Champlaine  visited  Saginaw  River  Indians,  1611. 
XVII.      446.      French  visited  valley  in  1771.     Stone  found — inscription. 

448.  Two  boats  built  here,  1787  and  1788. 

449.  Mr.  Fisher  wintered  here,  17  80. 

XXII.  244-246.  1540.  Jacques  Cartier  knew  of  Lower  Peninsula  as  the 
Saginaw  Region. 

1611.      Champlaine  described  the  safe  harbor  afforded  by  Saginaw 
River — shown  correctly  on  map. 
1686 — French  artisans  sent  to  Saginaw  Region. 
Jesuit  Engelrau  instructed  to  establish    missions    throughout  the 
;  Saginaw  Region  "which  he  did." 


1&4        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


XXX.      72-85.      Saginaw  Bay  called   Gulf    of    Saguina    in    Geography  and 
Geology  of  Lake  Huron  in  1823. 

PIONEER  LIFE. 

See  items  under  History  Sketches. 

I.  109. 

42  9-431.      Early  schools — Wayne  County. 

453.      Early  school  incidents — Detroit.     Examinations. 
461.      Punishment. 

III.  602.     James  Eraser's  loss. 

V.      2  96.      Raisings  and  Bees  among  the  Early  Settlers — Battle  Creek. 

3  00.      The  Old  Pioneers'  Foes — Fever,  Ague,  Rash,  Mosquitoes. 

547.      Early  Schools  of  Detroit,  1816-1819. 

33  9.      Pioneer  Life — Fling.      (Good.) 
VII.      96.      Fishing  through  the  ice. 

345.      Fever  and  ague,  mosquitoes,  blackbirds  and  corn. 

249.      The  first  wedding  in  Bay  County. 

275.      Leon  Trombley's  potatoes. 

308-314.      In  Lower  Saginaw,  1837-1860. 

388-394.      Reminiscences     of    Judge     Albert     Miller,     1830-1832. 

Flint  and  Grand  Blanc.     Pioneer  Cabin  Described. 

395.      Hunting  on  Bad  River. 
IX.      137.      "Convivial  habits  of  the  pioneers  of  Saginaw." 

XIII.  3  69.      Wintering  Cattle  on  the  ice  near  the  mouth  of  the  Quanicassee 

River. 

XIV.  179,  180.      On  Foot  from  Flint  to  Saginaw,  1844. 

283-402.      The  Log  School  House  Era — Calhoun  County. 
XVIII.      7-10.      Wintering  Cattle  in  Saginaw  Valley,  1835. 
XXII.      454.      The  Pioneer  Schools  of  the  state. 
XXIX.      616.      Early  log  cabin. 

XXXII.      240.      Pioneer  Life  in  Southern  Michigan. 
See  items  under  Travel  and  Communication,  and  also  under  Fur  Trading. 

TRAVEL — TRANSPORTATION — COMMUNICATION. 

II.  317,  318.      Jackson,  Lansing  and  Saginaw  Railroad. 

470.      Detroit  to  the  Sagina  River  in  1822. 
473.      Down  the  river  to  the  bay  in  a  canoe. 
HI.      189-201.      Geological  Expedition,  1837. 

43  2.      Road  planned  along  Indian  Trail  from  Detroit  to  Saginaw 
Bay,  183  6. 

IV.  364.      Travel  in  the  Early  Days  of  Michigan. 

101.      Dog   train  semi-monthly  between   Bay   City  and   Mackinaw 
and  the  Soo. 

V.  140.      Boat  "Saginaw  Hunter"  sailed  up  river,  October,  1819. 

VI.  177-178,  197.      Communication  with  Alpena. 

VII.  54.      Road  planned  by  U.  S. — Detroit  to  Saginaw  Bay,  1827. 

9  6.      Trip  from  Saginaw  to  the  Bay. 
229-232.      From  Vermont  to  Detroit  in  1830. 
23  2-23  6.      North  from  Detroit  in  183  0. 
237.      Schooner  Savage  aground,  1833. 

252.  Winter  travel  from  interior  to  bay  for  fish. 
271.      Detroit  to  Saginaw  Valley,  183  2. 

3  08.      Not  even  bridle  path  to  Saginaw. 

311.  Indian  trail  along  river. 

312.  Highway  along  Indian  trail  to  Saginaw,  18  60. 

VIII.  2.      Erie  Canal  and  migration. 

243.  First  steam  boat  on  Saginaw  River,  183  6.     Gov.  Marcy. 

248.  Schooner  Savage  plies  between  Saginaw  and  Detroit. 

251.  To  Saginaw  Bay  on  skates  for  trade  about  183  0. 

253.  By  canoe  from  Saginaw  to  Thunder  Bay. 

XII.      5.      The  Sloop  Sagina.     From  Fort  Erie    to    Detroit,  Michilimackinac 
and  St.  Mary  Falls,  built  at  Saginaw  Bay  in  17  87. 
Esperance,  17  8  8. 
6,  their  cargoes  listed. 


APPENDIX.  195 


XIII.      335,  Gen.  Cass  to  Saginaw  by  boat,  1819. 

3  61.      The  first  steamboat  on  Saginaw  River,  183  6. 
XVII.      448.      Two  boats  built  here,  17  8  7  and  1788. 
XXXI.      180.      Erie  Canal  and  Michigan  Immigration. 

HISTORY  SKETCHES. 

I.  14.      Address  of  Judge  Albert  Miller. 

62.      Relics  from  Bay  City. 

110.      Bay  City  in  187  6 — B.  F.  Partridge. 

II.  85.      Captain  Marsac. 

460.      Saginaw  Country — Pioneer  Incidents. 

88.      Military  Occupation  of  Saginaw  Valley — Dr.  J.  L.  Whiting. 

III.  19  4.      Lower  Saginaw  in  183  7. 

199.      Portsmouth  and  Lower  Saginaw  in  1837. 
316-338.      Bay  County  History — Gen.  B.  P.  Partridge. 

IV.  13-22.      Salt  in  the  Saginaw  Valley. 

176.      Judge  Albert  Miller. 
177-197.      Presbyterian  Church  at  Bay  City. 
3  59-3  64.      Address  of  Judge  Albert  Miller. 
3  64-3  73.      Sketch  by  Wm.  R.  McCormick. 

VI.  62.      A  History  of  the  Press  of  Michigan,  1875.  pp.  68,  69 — Bay  County- 

Press. 

3  43.      American  Fur  Company. 

VII.  142.      Captain  Joseph  F.  Marsac. 

228-305.      The  Saginaw  Valley — Judge  Miller;     E.    S.    Williams; 

Detroit  Gazette;  and  Wm.  R.  McCormick. 

308-319.      The  Trinity  Parish,  Bay  City. 

319-3  44.      Dedication  of  Sage  Library,  January  16,  1884. 

578.      Tuscola  County — Judge  Miller. 

VIII.  2.      Michigan  before  1824. 

Erie  Canal  and  Immigration. 
X.      12  6.      Albert  Miller  and  Uncle  Harvey  Williams  mentioned. 

XIII.  3  51-3  83.      Incidents  in  Early  History  of  the  Saginaw  Valley — Miller. 

(good.) 

XIV.  17  9,  180.      Fourth  mill  on  the  Saginaw  River — 1844. 

4  95-510.      Rivers  of  the  Saginaw    Valley    60    years    ago — Miller 
(poem)   (good.) 

XVII.  2  2  4.      Archie  McMillan. 

248,  249,  252,  255,  269.     James  G.  Birney  in  Michigan. 
313.      Early  migration  from  New  England  to  Michigan. 
440-446.      Saginaw  Valley  fifty-two  years  ago  (from  1889.) 
446-449.      Saginaw  One  Hundred  Years  Ago   (from  1889.) 

XVIII.  25-29.      Portsmouth. 

433-445.      Residents  of  Bay  County  in  1847. 
683,  684,  692.      Notes  9,  25,  110  and  441. 

XXI.  2  4  4.      Village  of  Wenona  platted  by  Andrew  Huggins. 

XXII.  22  6-23  5.      Distinguished    members  of  the    Bay    County  Bar — A.  C. 

Maxwell. 

455.      Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leon  Trombley. 

457.      Sixty-two  years  ago — Bay  City  Tribune,  1893. 

459.      Saginaw  County  and  River. 

461-463.      Recollections  of  a  Pioneer. 

466-470.      The  New  First  Presbyterian  Church,    Bay    City,   1891. 

Reminiscences. 
XXVIII.      105.      Captain  Joseph  Marsac — O.  A.  Marsac. 

4  81-501.      Brief  History  of  Saginaw  County. 
XXXV.      137.      Great  Lawyers  of  Saginaw  Valley  about  1867. 

3G0.      Description  of  Flint  in  1838. 
XXXVIII.      53  9-5  79.      Introduction  to  Settlement  of  Southern   Michigan — 

G.  N.  Fuller. 


196 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


POLITICAL  ORGANIZATION  AND  BOUNDARIES. 

I.      99.      Bay  County  Legislative  acts, 
9  9.      Arenac. 

102-109.     Struggle  for  county  organization. 
9  9.     Arenac,  including  part  of  Bay  County. 
273.      Midland  County,  including  part  of  Bay  County. 
3  04.      Oakland  County,  including    Bay    County     (except  reserva- 
tions), for  governmental  purposes. 

313,  314.      Saginaw    County,    including    southern    part    of    Bay 
County. 

314.  Political  Organization  of  Saginaw  County. 

VII.  First  election  in  Bay  County. 

VIII.  541,  496.      Part  of  Wayne  County,  1803. 

Indiana  Territory  organized  by  Gen.  Wm.  H.  Harrison. 

Northwest  Territory,  1787. 
XIV.      5  6.      Hampton  Township,  1843. 
XVIII.      Early  survey  in  Bay  County. 

XXI.  286.      Survey  of  Saginaw  River,  by  J.  H.  Porster,  1856. 

XXII.  460.      Formation  of  Bay  County. 

XXVII.      346-390.      The  southern  and  western  boundaries  of  Michigan. 

XXIX.  612.      Part  of  Indiana  Territory.     1800. 

613.      Michigan  Territory.      1805.     Organization  of  counties. 

XXX.  1-27.      Boundaries  of  Michigan. 

XXXVI.      101.      Divisions  of  Michigan  Territory  in  1805. 

119.      Northern  part  of  Bay  County  in  district  of  Michilimackinac. 

12  0.      Southern  part  of  county  in  district  of  Huron. 
XXXVIII.      472.      Organization  of  Bay  County. 

MAPS. 

XXIV.      3  83.      Map  of  Upper  Canada  and  Michigan,  1792 — Saginaw 
Bay  and  River. 

617.      Map  of  land  between  York  and  Lake  Huron  about  1793. 
Shows  Saginaw  River,  Bay  and  AuSable  River. 
2  75.      Map  of  cessions  by  Indian  treaties. 

347,  348.      Maps  showing  Michigan  boundaries,  1800,  1805,  1816, 
1834. 

374.      Mitchell's  map,   1755. 
1-27.      Michigan  Boundaries. 
55  0,  551.      John  Mitchell's  map  of  1755. 
52.      Mitchell's  map,  complete. 


XXVI. 
XXVII. 


XXX. 

XXXV. 

XXXVI. 


MEMORIAL  REPORTS  ON  DEATH  OF  PIONEERS. 


III. 
V. 

VI. 

VII. 

XI. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XVII. 
XVIII 
XXII. 
XXVI 


XXXII. 
XXXIII 
XXXIV. 


339.      Mrs.  Joseph  Trombley. 
224.      Captain  Joseph  F.  Marsac,  1880.     226.    Mrs.  Dr.  Rogers. 

227.      Mrs.  Marsac,  1881.     John  McEwan. 
211.      Joseph  Trombley,  1883. 
280.      Benjamin  Cushway,  1881.     287-291.   Harvey  Williams. 

3  44.      W.  L.  Fay. 
22. 
.      117.      Mrs.  Medor  Trombley,  1887.     James  Birney,  1888. 
56.      Sydney  S.  Campbell,  1887. 

56-61.      Memorials.      61.   Harry  Raymond. 
29.      217-225.      James  Knaggs. 

108-111.      Curtis  Munger,  109.     147.   E.  S.  Williams  of  Flint. 
42.      George  Lord. 

2,  21.  Judge  Albert  Miller.  W^m.  R.  McCormick. 
27.  Harry  Holmes.  29-30.  Wm.  R.  McCormick. 
3  2.  George  B.  F.  Partridge.  205.  Judge  Miller. 
208-214.  Judge  Miller.  214-218.  Isaac  Marston. 
580. 
723. 
755.      Mrs.  Albert  Miller. 


APPENDIX.  197 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

III.      70.      Climate  of  the  Great  Lakes — Hubbard. 
19  8.      Lumber  and  the  lumber  market. 

XXXV.      Page  xili.     Articles  in  Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Collections 
suitable  for  use  in  schools. 
155.      Michigan,  My  Michigan. 

NOTES,   STATISTICS,  ETC. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Bay  County — Latitude,  43°   28-44°  N.;   longitude,  83°    45'-84°    15'  W. 

Bay  City—  "  33°    36'  N.  "  83°    54'  W. 

The  area  of  Bay  County  does  not  seem  to  be  exactly  known.     It  is  given  in 
various  places  as  follows: 

United  States  Census  - 437        square  miles. 

Public  Domain  Commission  of  Michigan 444.72  square  miles. 

Silas  Farmer  — - 444.89  square  miles. 

Michigan  Census,  1894  _.... _ 446.59  square  miles. 

Michigan  Geological  Survey  by  Cooper,  east  of  river     8  6.11  square  miles. 

River  and  middleground  3.96  square  miles. 

West  of  river 360.22  450.29  square  miles. 

The  last  is  probably  correct. 

The  area  of  Bay  City  is  at  present  given  as  11.05  square  miles. 


198 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Chapter  II.— GEOLOGICAL  COLUMN 

of  the  North  American  Chemical  Company  Well,. 
South  Bay  City. 

Section  5,  T.   13  N.,  R.  5  E.     585  feet  above  sea  level. 

From  Geological  Survey  of  Michigan,   Annual  Report  of  1905, 
Bay  County,  Plate  II. 

(First  column  of  figures  shows  depth  divided  into  spaces  of  100  feet  each.      Second  column 

shows  depth  of  each  layer.     Third  column  shows  total  depth  to  the 

bottom  of  that  particular  layer.) 


100 

15-15— Sand. 

35-50 — Clay  with  thin  seams  of  sand. 

10-60— Sand. 

10-70 — Hardpan. 

30-100— Sand. 

Began  December 
30,   1898. 

200 

38-138— Shale. 

2-140 — Quicksand;  probably  Assure. 

300 

138-278 — Sandstone. 
17-295 — Blue  shale. 

400 

10-305— Sandy  shale. 
15-320 — Blue  shale. 

5-325 — Sandy  shale. 
35-360— Blue  shale. 

500 

60-420 — Shale. 
10-430 — Fire  clay. 
30-460 — Blue  shale. 
10-470 — Fire  clay. 
10-480 — Shale. 
10-490 — Red  shale. 

600 

50-540 — Sandstone. 
20-560 — Brovs^n  dolomite. 

700 

60-610 — Silicious  dolomite. 
10-620 — Sandstone. 

5-625 — Dolomite. 
25-650 — Gray  shale. 
10-660 — Dolomite. 
35-695— Gray  shale. 

800 

25-720 — Sandy  dolomite. 
10-730 — Green  shale. 
10-740 — Gray  shale. 
10-750 — 

20-770— Gray  shale. 
10-780 — Limestone. 
10-790 — Gypsum. 

900 

30-820 — Gray  Limestone. 

1000 

150-970— -Gray  sandstone;  salt  water. 

Usual  temperature 
of  brines   60.4° 
February  2,   1899. 

APPENDIX, 


199 


1100 

100 — ^1070 — Red  sandstone. 

1200 

30-1100 — Blue  shale. 
20-1120— Red  shale. 
20 — 1140 — Red  sandstone. 
45-1185 — Blue  shale. 
5-1190 — Red  shale. 

1300 

1400 

At  1304  ft. 
Temperature  65° 

1500 

1600 

1700 

1800 

560-1750 — Blue  shale. 

At  1793  ft. 
Temperature  71° 

1900 

100-1850— Dark  blue  shale. 

2000 

70-1920— Blue  Shale. 
20-1940— Red  shale. 
10-1950 — Blue  shale. 
10-1960— Sandy  shale. 

2100 

100-2060 — Blue  Shale. 

2200 

40-2100 — Black  shale. 
40-2140 — Gray  sandrock. 

2300 

130-2270 — White  sandrock;  strong  brine  flowing 
over  surface. 
20-2290 — Blue  shale. 

200 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


2400 

14-2304 — Black  shale;  oilv    :g'as. 
6-2310 — Rock  salt. 

2500 

2600 

225-2535 — Black  shale. 
15-2550 — Brown  shale. 
30-2580 — Black  shale,  oil  and  g-as. 

2700 

60-2610— Black  shale. 
10-2620 — Sandy  limestone. 
10-2630 — Sandstone. 
60-2690 — Blue  shale. 

June  30,    1899 

2800 

10-2700— Limestone. 

27-2727— Blue  shale. 

9-2736 — Limestone. 

44-2780 — Sandstone. 

2900 

30-2810— Sandy  limestone. 
50-2S60 — Brown  sandy  limestone. 

July  21,  1899 
Rope   broke. 

December   1,    1899. 

3000 

45-2905 — Gray  sandy  limestone. 
35-2940 — -Pepper  sandy  limestone. 

At  2934  ft. 
Temperature  90.1° 

3100 

3200 

180-3120 — Blue  shale. 
40-3160 — Gray  shaly  limestone. 

3300 

50-3210 — Blue  shale. 
60-3270 — Black  shale. 

3400 

3500 

1 

At  3455  ft. 
Temperature  97''F 

238-3508 — Gray  limestone,                                                 1 

January  18,   1900. 

APPENDIX.  201 

(CHAPTER  VII. 
LEGENDS  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  SKULL  ISLAND — TWO  ACCOUNTS. 


The  Sauks  were  always  at  war  with  their  neighbors,  the  Chippewas  on  the 
nortla,  and  the  Pottawatomies  on  the  south,  and  also  with  other  nations  in 
Canada,  until  a  council  was  called,  made  up  of  the  Chippewas,  Pottawatomies, 
Menominees,  Ottawas  and  six  nations  of  New  York.  At  an  appropriate  time 
they  all  met  at  the  island  of  Mackinaw,  where  they  fitted  out  a  large  army.  They 
started  in  bark  canoes,  and  came  down  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Huron.  They 
then  stole  down  the  west  coast  of  Saginaw  Bay  by  night  and  lay  hidden  during 
the  day.  Here  they  landed  part  of  their  army,  while  the  rest  crossed  the  bay  and 
landed  to  the  east  of  the  mouth  of  the  Saginaw  River,  in  the  night 

In  the  morning  both  armies  started  up  the  river,  one  on  each  side,  so  as  to 
attack  both  villages  at  once.  The  army  on  the  west  side  attacked  the  main  vil- 
lage first,  by  surprise,  and  massacred  nearly  all.  The  balance  retreated  across 
the  river  to  another  village.  At  this  time  that  part  of  the  army  that  had  landed 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river  came  up  and  a  desperate  battle  was  fought  near  the 
site  of  the  residence  of  W.  R.  McCormick,  that  being  the  highest  land  and  where 
they  had  tried  to  fortify  themselves. 

Here  they  were  again  defeated.  They  then  crossed  the  river  and  retreated 
to  Scull  Island,  which  is  the  next  island  above  what  is  now  called  Stone  Island. 

Here  they  considered  themselves  safe,  as  their  enemies  had  no  canoes.  But 
the  next  night  after  their  retreat  to  the  island,  the  ice  froze  thick  enough  for  the 
allies  to  cross,  which  they  did,  when  another  massacre  took  place.  They  were 
all  killed  but  twelve  families. 

11. 

The  Sauks  were  dreaded  by  less  warlike  yet  equally  brave  foes,  the  Chip- 
pewas, Ottawas,  and  their  allies.  They  frequently  went  northward  and  fought 
the  Chippewas  and  Ottawas.  They  also  fought  the  tribes  south  of  them  and 
those  east  across  the  lake  in  Canada.  Finally  they  went  north  to  do  terrible 
battle  against  the  Chippewas.  It  was  a  very  great  defeat  for  the  Chippewas,  but 
it  served  to  rouse  them  to  acts  of  the  most  gallant  daring.  The  Sauks  offered 
the  greatest  indignity  known  in  Indian  warfare.  They  captured  and  brought 
south  as  prisoners  a  Chippewa  Indian  and  his  squaw.  This  was  a  defiance  to  the 
Chippewa  tribe.  Immediately  after  the  battle,  the  Sauks  started  leisurely  on 
their  return  to  the  Saginaw  Valley.  The  Chippewas,  with  their  allies,  organized 
a  powerful  force  of  not  less  than  3,000  warriors,  and  in  canoes  came  by  way  of 
the  Straits  of  Mackinaw  down  the  shore  to  near  such  a  point  as  they  expected 
the  Sauks  would  reach  the  Saginaw  Bay.  This  was  not  far  from  the  Pine  River. 
The  Chippewas  reconnoitered  their  position  and  followed  them  steadily  for 
several  days  until  the  Sauks  had  passed  up  the  Saginaw  river  from  its  mouth  to 
Skull  Island.  The  Chippewas  were  halted  at  the  mouth  of  Squaconning  creek. 
The  head  chief  was  satisfied  that  Skull  Island  was  to  be  made  the  scene  of  a  great 
banquet  or  feast  in  honor  of  the  victory  the  Sauks  had  achieved.  This  he  had 
decided  should  therefore  be  the  time  and  place  of  a  terrible  conflict. 

First  of  all  he  desired  to  ascertain  the  exact  location  and  surroundings  of 
the  Sauks'  camping  grounds.  To  gain  this  information  required  the  most  trust- 
worthy and  daring  spies.  The  chief  called  for  volunteers  from  his  powerful 
braves.  Of  the  number  who  came  forward  he  selected  three  and  sent  them  by 
night  with  instructions  to  penetrate  the  very  camp  of  the  Sauks.  One  of  the 
scouts  while  lying  near  the  camp  of  the  Sauks,  spying  out  their  positions,  saw 
the  Chippewa  squaw  approaching  while  on  her  way  to  bring  water — she  being 
required  to  do  the  service  of  a  slave.  The  scout  spoke  to  her  in  the  language  of 
her  tribe,  and  induced  her  to  come  so  near  that  they  could  converse.  He  learned 
that  on  the  following  night  there  was  to  be  a  great  feast,  and  gave  her  instruc- 
tions, which  might  save  her  life  and  that  of  her  husband.  The  scout  told  her 
at  the  approach  of  daylight  when  feasting  and  drinking  had  all  ended  and  the 
camp  was  in  deep  sleep,  the  Chippewas  would  suddenly  and  quietly  enter  the 
camp  and  commence  a  dreadful  massacre.     To  save  their  lives,  the  Chippewa  and 


202        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


his  squaw  were  directed  to  lie  on  their  faces  and  when  kicked  and  struck  to  en- 
dure it  all,  without  raising  their  heads  or  showing  any  signs  of  life. 

Having  gained  the  desired  information,  the  scouts  returned  speedily  and 
made  their  report.  When  revelry  was  at  its  height  in  the  camp  of  the  Sauks,  the- 
Chippewas  landed  on  the  south  side  of  the  island.  A  few  returned  to  the  op- 
posite side  with  the  canoes,  so  as  to  prevent  the  escape  of  any  Sauks.  On  the- 
morning  after  the  banquet,  the  Chippewas  quietly  attacked  the  Sauks  who  were- 
all  asleep  except  the  prisoners,  and  the  terrible  massacre  commenced.  Tradition 
says  that  not  one  of  the  Sauks  escaped  death. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Correction:  Note  (1)  at  the  bottom  of  page  37  should  read:  "From  an- 
account  by  one  of  the  pupils." 

Note:  The  elm  bark  wigwam  described  in  this  account  was  more  common- 
in  this  locality  than  that  made  by  skins  mentioned  by  Major  Gansser.  The  bark 
strips  were  fastened  by  cat-tails,  and  brush — to  a  depth  of  ten  or  twelve  inches^ 
— was  banked  around  the  outside. 

CHIPPEWA  LEGENDS. 

THE  LEGEND  OF  "THE  WHITE  OWL"  OR  "THE  LONE  TREE." 

Many,  many  years  ago,  before  white  men  put  foot  in  the  valley.  Chief 
Kewahkewon  ruled  his  people  with  love  and  kindness.  He  had  been  a  great 
warrior  in  his  day,  but  he  was  now  old  and  he  felt  that  he  must  soon  die.  He- 
wished  to  see  his  tribe  in  council  once  more,  so  he  gathered  his  people  about 
him  and  said: 

"My  children,  I  am  about  to  die.  The  Great  Spirit  has  called  me  and  I  must 
obey  the  summons  Already  the  tomahawk  is  raised  to  sever  the  last  cord  that 
binds  me  to  my  children.  A  guide  stands  patiently  waiting  to  take  me  to  the- 
Happy  Hunting  Ground. 

"You  weep,  my  children,  but  dry  your  tears,  for  though  I  leave  you  now,  my 
spirit  bird  will  forever  remain  with  you.  I  will  whisper  to  you  in  the  evening- 
breeze,  and  when  morning  comes  you  will  know  that  I  have  been  with  you. 
through  the  night. 

"But  the  Good  Spirit  beckons  and  I  must  hasten.  Let  my  body  be  laid  in  a. 
quiet  place  with  my  face  toward  the  sun,  my  tomahawk  and  my  pipe  at  my  side. 
Do  not  fear  that  the  wild  beasts  will  disturb  my  rest,  for  the  Great  Spirit  will 
watch  over  me.  Meet  me  in  the  Hunting  Ground,  my  children,  and  now  fare- 
well."    And  the  old  chief  slept  the  sleep  that  knows  no  wakening. 

They  buried  him  in  a  quiet  spot  by  the  river,  with  his  face  toward  the  rising 
sun.  His  remains  were  never  disturbed  by  the  wild  beasts,  for  it  seems  that  the 
Great  Spirit  had  indeed  set  a  watch  over  his  grave. 

Time  passed  and  a  tree  grew  from  his  grave.  It  was  a  beautiful  white  ash 
and  it  spread  its  branches  over  the  chief's  last  resting  place.  Soon  after,  a  white 
owl,  believed  to  be  the  spirit  of  Kewahkewon,  made  its  home  in  the  tree. 

The  Indians  said  that  when  the  tree  fell  and  the  owl  was  killed,  misfortune 
would  come  and  they  would  be  scattered.  One  year  a  ilood  covered  the  valley 
and  left  the  tree's  roots  bare  and  rotted.  The  owl,  however,  continued  to  make 
its  home  in  the  tree  until  James  J.  McCormick  shot  it  while  hunting.  Soon  after 
this  the  tree  fell  during  a  wind-storm.  True  to  the  old  saying,  the  tribe  scattered 
— an  epidemic  of  smallpox  killed  many  of  them  and  most  of  the  others  sought 
other  hunting  grounds. 

II. 

THE  INDIAN  MAIDEN  AND  HER  LOVER — Told  by  Frances  Tromble. 

About  the  year  1869,  Mr.  John  McGraw,  a  lumberman  from  Utica,  N.  Y.,. 
bought  from  Mador  Tromble,  my  grandfather,  and  from  others,  about  5  00  acres 
of  land  south  of  the  Bullock  road.  He  built  a  large  sawmill  where  the  present 
North  American  Chemical  buildings  stand.  The  balance  of  the  land  he  made  into 
a  large  farm,  now  known  as  the  Curtis  farm.  He  built  a  large  barn  in  a  small 
cluster  of  large  forest  trees  on  the  land.  At  that  time  there  was  a  large  number 
of  Indians  living  on  an  Indian  reservation  on  Cheboyganing  creek.  They  had  to 
pass  this  barn  on  an  Indian  trail,  and  many  times  after  dark,    especially    when 


APPENDIX.  20; 


the  wind  blew  hard,  they  would  hear  strange  noises  coming  from  the  barn  and 
also  see  large  white  objects  in  the  air.  This  frightened  them  so  much  that  they 
used  to  go  miles  out  of  their  way  so  as  not  to  pass  this  barn  during  the  night. 

There  was  a  legend  among  the  Indians  that  a  beautiful  Indian  maiden  and 
her  lover  had  been  killed  in  these  woods  by  a  renegade  Indian  of  another  tribe 
many  centuries  before.  The  white  objects  seen  in  the  air  and  the  noises  were 
said  to  be  from  the  spirits  of  the  departed  lovers. 

My  grandfather  had  heard  this  legend  and  story  from  the  Indians  for  many 
years,  and  he  decided  to  investigate  it.  So  one  dark,  windy  night  he  went  to  the 
barn  and  concealed  himself  in  a  clump  of  bushes.  All  at  once  he  heard  strange 
noises,  but  saw  no  white  objects.  Remaining  concealed  for  a  few  moments 
longer  he  saw  three  or  four  large  white  objects  fluttering  in  the  air  around  the 
eaves  of  the  barn,  and  the  strange  noises  seemed  to  come  from  the  same  place. 
As  one  of  the  large  trees  grew  close  to  the  barn,  in  fact  one  of  the  large  limbs 
reached  over  to  the  barn,  he  climbed  up  into  the  branches  of  the  tree  and  went 
onto  the  roof  of  the  barn.  It  was  then  that  he  discovered  that  when  the  wind 
blew,  the  limb  rubbed  against  the  barn  and  made  the  strange  noises,  and  the 
white  objects  seen  in  the  air  were  nothing  but  large  white  owls  that  had  their 
nests  in  the  eaves  of  the  barn.  So  the  legend  of  the  spirits  of  the  Indian  lovers 
was  only  a  myth  after  all. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  EARLY  EVENTS.  (See  page  44.) 

15  40  Cartier  knew  of  Saginaw  region. 

1611  Champlain  explored  valley  and  bay. 

163  4  Jean  Nicolet  explored  the  shore  of  Saginaw  Bay. 

166  8  Pere  Marquette  said  to  have  visited  Saginaw  Indians. 

1679  LaSalle,  in  the  Griffin,  driven  into  the  bay  by  a  storm. 

1686  French  artizans  and  missionaries  sent  here. 

1703  Map  of  region  by  DeLisle. 

170  6  Ten  boats  from  Michilimackinac  came  here  for  food. 

1708  Provisions  sent  to  Saginaw  Indians  from  Detroit. 

1711  Saginaw  Indians  aided  French  against  the  English. 

1717  Missionaries  for  Saginaw  Indians  refused. 

1718  Map  of  region  by  DeLisle. 

175  5      Map  of  region  by  John  Mitchell. 

1757      Trip  undertaken  from  Amsterdam  to  Saginaw  river. 

1763      Treaty  of  Paris — English  gained  possession  of  this  region. 

Pontiac's  Conspiracy — Saginaw  Indians  took  part  in  Siege  of  Detroit. 
1766      Captain  Carver's  Travels — he  visited  the  Saginaw  region. 
1779      The  English  sent  here  for  60  0  bushels  of  corn. 
17  83      Treaty  of  Paris — Americans  gained  title  to  Michigan. 

Old  Northwest  Pur  Company  organized  and  began  trading  here. 
17  87-8  Two  sail  boats  built  on  the  shore  of  Saginaw  Bay. 

Ordinance  of  17  87. 

Louis  and  Gassette  Tromble  traded  wih  the  Indians  here. 

Americans  gained  actual  control  over  Michigan. 

Michigan  Territory. 

American  Fur  Company  began  trading  in  this  region. 

5      War  of  1812 — English  in  possession  again  for  a  time. 

Saginaw  Indians  aided  the  English. 

Government  surveyors'  false  reports. 

Louis  Campau  at  Saginaw. 

Stephen  V.  R.  Riley  and  Jacob  Graveradt  traded  here  about  this  time — 
exact  dates  of  their  coming  not  given. 

First  steamboat  on  the  Great  Lakes. 

Treaty  of  Saginaw. 

United  States  troops  stationed  at  Saginaw. 

Troops  withdrawn  on  account  of  fever. 

Completion  of  the  Erie  Canal. 

Joseph  Tromble  visited  this  part  of  the  valley,  looking  for  land. 

Leon  Tromble  built  log  cabin  at  Fourth  and  Water  streets. 

Masho  built  log  cabin  on  site  of  Woodenware  Works. 

DeTocqueville  visited  Saginaw  Valley. 

Saginaw  County  organized. 


1792 

1796 

1805 

1811 

1812- 

1815 

1816 

1818 

1819 

1821 

1823 

1825 

1829 

1831 

204        BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

1833      Coast  Survey  made  by  United  States — J.  F.  Marsac  in  party. 
183  4      John  B.  Trudell  built  cabin  on  east  side  of  river. 

Benjamin  Cushway,  government  blacksmith,    built  cabin    and    shop    on 
west  side  of  the  river  near  Salzburg  avenue. 
183  5      Joseph  and  Mader  Tromble    purchased    first  land    in    what    is    now  Bay 

County  and  built  trading  store. 
183  6      First  frame  house  here  built  at  Twenty-fourth  and  Water  streets  by  the 
Trombles. 
Judge  Allbert  Miller  platted  Village  of  Portsmouth. 
183  7      James  Fraser  platted  Village  of  Lower  Saginaw. 
Michigan  a  state. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Correction,  page  99:  The  statement  that  4,000,000,000  feet  of  timber  were 
cut  in  the  mills  on  the  Saginaw  river  is  evidently  incorrect,  as  will  be  seen  from 
the  figures  below.  They  would  apply  to  the  whole  State,  however,  for  that  year. 
It  is  difficult  to  get  statistics  for  lumbering  that  are  certain  to  be  correct; 
different  sources  give  entirely  different  figures.  Some  refer  to  the  mills  in  Bay 
City,  some  to  those  in  the  lower  part  of  the  valley,  and  others  to  all  mills  on  the 
Saginaw  river,  while  still  others  refer  to  the  State.  Some  accounts  change 
abruptly  from  one  group  of  mills  to  another  without  making  the  change  clear. 

The  following  statistics  for  the  mills    located  .on    the    Saginaw    river  were 
taken  from  the  Bay  City  Tribune: 

1851   — - - 92,000,000 

1855  - - 100,000,000 

1860  -.- - 125,000,000 

1865   -- 250,639,000 

1870  576,726,000 

1875   — — .       586,558,000 

1880  - --       873,047,000 

1882  - 1,014,274,000 

1885  717,799,000 

1888  880,659,000 

1889  851,623,000 

1890  - 815,054,000 

1891  -__ .-       758,610,000 

Production  of  3  2  Bay  County  mills  for  the  season  ending  May  1,  1887: 

Pine  lumber  - 3  99,457,458  feet. 

Hardwood  lumber  — 3,953,000  feet. 

Shingles    _.. - - 71,80  0,000 

Lath 53,65  6,5  5  0 

Staves  - ■ 16,23  7,95  0 

Heading 63  8,000 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

SALT. 

Year.      Bushels  Produced  Cost  of  Selling  Price, 

in  Bay  County.      Manufacture. 

$1.40  $    .60  $    .80 

60,000  1.75-2.00  .60  .80 

8  salt  works.    Wood,  $1.50  per  cord. 

1.32  .60  .80 

1.10  .60  .80 

.75  .60  .80 

55,455  .85  .60  .80 

891,462  .70  .60  .80 

32  companies,  34  steam  blocks,  and  500  solar  covers. 
1918  1.50  .50  exclusive  of  cost  of  bar- 

rel.    This  cost  is  determined  by  charging  to  the  salt  department  a  fair 
amount  of  the  expense  of  operating  the  entire  Bigelow  &  Cooper  plant. 

FISH. 
185  0 — About  5  0  barrels  per  week  were  shipped  from  this  vicinity. 
1864 — 75  tons,  at  $100  were  shipped  to  Detroit  and  other  points. 
18  67 — ^45,000  barrels  were  shipped;  about  400  men  employed. 
1884 — The  catch  was  light — the  worst  in  six  years. 


1860 

1867 

1870 

1875 

1880 

1884 

1887 

APPENDIX. 


205 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
MARKET  QUOTATIONS. 


February,  February, 

1884  1917 

Wheat,  per  bu 95c-$1.00  $1.70 

Corn,  per  bu 62c-65c  95c-$1.00 

Oats,  per  bu 41c  58c 

Beans,  per  bu $2.25  $6.50 

Flour,  per  bbl ..$5.00-5.75  $8.80-9.80 

Dressed  hogs,  per  lb....  9ic  14ic 

Veal,  per  lb .....9c-9Jc  15c-15ic 

Lamb,  per  lb 8    3/8c  17c-18g 

Lard,  per  lb lOJc 

Butter,  per  lb 18c-21c  35c-39c 

Cheese,  per  lb .-14c  24c 

Eggs,  per  doz 40c  45c 

Sugar,  per  lb 8ic 

Potatoes,  per  bu 55c-60c 


June, 

1917 
$2.90 
$1.50 
74c 
$9.00 

$14.50-15.50 
15c-18c 
13c-14c 
17c-18c 

34c-42c 

23c 

33c 

$3.25 


January, 
1918 

$2.08 

78c 
$5.62i 

19|c-20c 

15c-16c 

18c-20c 

42c-46c 
22c-24c 
35c-46c 
8|cinN.  Y. 
$1.30 


$3.25 

Prices  for  February  15,  1917,  and  May  22,  1917,  show  prices,  before  and 
after  the  United  States  entered  the  war.  Many  of  the  prices  in  the  last  column 
are  fixed  by  the  government. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

LOCATION  OF  THE  CHURCHES  IN  1868. 

Year 
Church.  Location.  Erected 

Methodist  Episcopal.. Washington,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth  1849 

Catholic Washington,  between  Second  and  Third  1850 

German  Lutheran Washington,  between  Seventh   and   Eighth 1855 

Episcopal Washington,  between  Center  and  Sixth ....1859 

Presbyterian Washington,  between  Ninth  and  Tenth 1861 

Baptist W^ashington,  between  Fifth  and  Center 1863 

Universalist ....Washington,  between  Eighth  and  Ninth   1867 


POPULATION  STATISTICS. 


Year. 

1860 

1864 
1870 
1874 
1880 
1884 
1890 
1894 
1900 
1904 
1910 
1915 


Bay  County. 
3,164 

5,515 
15,900 
24,832 
38,081 
51,265 
56,412 
61,304 
'62,378 
63,448 
68,238 


Bay  City. 


West  Bay  City. 


Essexville. 


810 

1,5  85    (State  Report) 

3,3  59 

7,064 
13,676 
20,693 
29,415 
27,839 
30,042 
27,628 
27,644 


6,397 
9,492 
12,981 
12,340 
13,119 
12,997 


45,166 


Included  in  Bay  City. 


1,356 
1,545 
1,737 
1,639 
1,469 
1,477 


4  7,494  Estimated  by  the  U.  S.  Census  Bureau. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
ORGANIZATION  OR  "ERECTION"  OF  THE  TOWNSHIPS. 

Hampton  1843 

Williams 185  5 

Portsmouth     ..: 185  9 

Bangor 185  9 

Beaver 1867 

Kawkawlin 1868 

Monitor 1869 

Merritt 1871 

Pinconning 1873 

Eraser 1875 

Frankenlust 1881 

Garfield  1886 

Gibson 18  88 

Mount  Forest 1890 


206 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


INDEX 

Names  of  Persons  Will  be  Found  Under  the  Headings: 

Explorers;    and  Pioneers. 


Persons  Mentioned; 


Agriculture:  County  fairs,  123;  de- 
velopment, 122,  123;  Indian,  73; 
pioneer,  89,  91;  raw  materials  for 
manufacturing,   147. 

Ague,  86,  87,  195. 

Altitude  of  Bay  County,  5,  8,  9,  14. 

American  Fur  Company,  5  0,  84,  124, 
194. 

American  period,  5  8-72. 

Animals,  20-25,  37,  38,  192. 

Annual  rainfall,  16. 

Areas,  198. 

Arenac  County,  6,  7,  59,  139,  169,  170, 
171,  174,   197. 

Arnold's  bakery,  168,  180. 

AuSable  river  dams,  149,  151. 

Average  temperature  maps,  16. 

B 

Banking  institutions,  168. 

Bathing,  15,  165. 

Bay  City:    Incorporated,  172;  shape,  3. 

Bay  County  Agricultural  Society,  123. 

Bay  County:  Location,  1;  map,  8,  9; 
organization,  169-171,  197;  shape, 
2;   size,  2,  3. 

Bayous,  7. 

Beaches,  ancient,  6. 

Bears,  22,  38;  trap,  55. 

Beaver:  Habits,  21,  192;  trap,  37; 
value   of   skins,    55. 

Bed  rock,  3. 

Belt  lines,  147. 

Berries,  19,  22. 

Bigelow-Cooper  salt  block,  110,  111. 

Birds,  22. 

Birney  Hall,  164,  165,  171. 

Blackbirds,  122. 

Board  of  Commerce,  16  9. 

Boating,  15,  16  6. 

Boundary  changes  in  Michigan  Ter- 
ritory, 5  8 

Bounties:  Blackbirds,  123;  salt,  108; 
wolves,   23. 

Bousfield  &  Company,  119. 

Bridges,  12  7. 

Business  men's  organizations,  168. 

Bus  lines,  13  4. 

O 
Canadian  logs,  13  9  lumber,  14  0,  15  8. 
Canoes,  33,  3  8. 
Carroll  Park,  167. 
Cass  City,  2. 
Cass  river,  3  3,  61. 
Cedar  block  pavements,  12  9. 
Cemeteries,  162,  163. 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  168. 
Charter  of  Bay  City,  172. 
Chicory,  154. 


Cholera  epidemic,  185  2-88. 

Chronological  table  of  early  events, 
204,  205. 

Churches,  163,  164  location,  206. 

Circle  hunt,  3  8. 

Civic  League,  165. 

Civil  service,  179. 

Civil  war,   161. 

Climate,  12-17;  effect  of  Great  Lakes, 
15,  198;   maps,  16. 

Coal:  How  formed,  4;  mining,  149, 
150. 

Coastline,  5. 

Columbia,  weekly  steamer  to  Detroit, 
124. 

Commerce  changed  by  railroads,  133. 

Commercial  center,   15  5-15  9. 

Commission  government  for  cities,  174. 

Communication,  135,  195. 

Concrete  roads,  129. 

Continental  climate,  14. 

Contour  lines,  8,  9. 

Corduroy  roads,  127. 

Corn,  Indian,  20;  cultivated  by  In- 
dians, 3  9,  4  7. 

Council,   Indian,    62-64. 

County  fair,   123. 

County  roads,  12  7. 

Coureurs  de  bois,  42. 

Crime,  early,  178. 

Crosthwaite  shipyard,  112. 

Cyclonic  storms,  12,  13. 

D 

Davidson's    shipyard,     113,     114;     dry 

dock,   141,   144,  145. 
Deadfall  trap,  5  5. 
Deer,  value,  24. 
Density  of  population,  161. 
Detroit,  47,  50,  58;  village  established, 

44. 
Distributing  center,  155-15  8. 
Distribution  of  population,   161. 
District    schools    of    Bay    County,    186, 

187. 
Divisions  of  city  and  county,  3. 
Divisions  of  a  section  of  land,  map,  9. 
Doctors  in  Bay  County,  163. 
Dogs,  Indian,  23,  25. 
Dog  train  to  Mackinaw,  13  5. 
Drainage,    Bay    County,     7;     northern 

part,  161. 
Drains,  7,  10,  11. 
Drake  Brothers'  mill,  173. 
Dredge  cuts,  7;   illustration,  10. 
Dredging  river  channel,  12  6. 
Dugout  canoe,  3  8. 

E 
Effect  of   Great  Lakes  on  climate,  15, 

17. 
Electric  lights,   17  6. 


INDEX 


207 


"Electric  car  lines,  134;  map,  8,  9. 

Electric  power,  149,  151. 

:English  in  control,  39,  42,  44,  46-48, 
50. 

English  settlements,  4  7. 

Erie  Canal,  71,  83,  195,  196. 

Estuaries,  5. 

Evergreen  trees,  18. 

Explorers:  42-4  8,  194;  Cartier,  Jac- 
ques, 43,  194;  Carver,  Captain  J., 
19,  20;  Champlain,  43,  46,  194; 
Houghton,  Doctor,  108;  LaSalle,  43; 
Marquette,  Father,  43;  Jean  Nico- 
let,  43. 


Farms,  123. 

r  arragut  school — first  high  school, 
187. 

Ferries,   12  6,   12  7. 

Fever  among  pioneers,  69,  86,  87,  195. 

Fire  department,  18  0-184. 

Fires,  destructive,  180,  181. 

■"Fire  water,"  3  4. 

Firing,  efficient  methods,  143. 

First — In  Bay  County  or  vicinity: 
Bank,  168;  business  men's  organiza- 
tion, 168;  cemetery,  162;  census  in 
Bay  County,  13  9;  churches,  164; 
city  water,  162;  coal  mine,  14  9, 
150;  city  council  meeting,  172: 
election,  169,  197;  electric  line,  134; 
fire  chief,  181;  fire  engine,  181; 
fire  protection,  162;  frame  house, 
75;  gas,  162;  hotel,  81;  incorpora- 
ted village,  171;  interurban,  13  5: 
land  patent,  75;  library,  162;  lum- 
her  shipped,  89:  mail  delivery,  136; 
mayor  of  Bay  City,  172;  newspaper, 
162;  paved  street,  12  9;  post  office, 
135;  railroad,  131;  rural  mail 
routes,  136;  schools,  76,  185,  186; 
settler,  73;  sewers,  177;  steamboat, 
70;  steam  sawmill,  78,  95,  97;  store 
in  county,  75;  store  in  Lower  Sag- 
inaw, 81,  167;  street  cars,  134; 
street  lights,  176;  teachers,  185, 
186;  telegraph,  13  7;  telephone,  137; 
township,  169;  village  president, 
171. 

F^ish,   20,  21,   195. 

Fish  industry,  115-118,  13  9,  145;  aid- 
ed by  coming  of  railroads,  133. 

Flint  river,  3  3. 

Flood  plain,  5. 

Floods,   11,  17. 

Flora  and  Fauna  of  Michigan,  19  2. 

Flowers,  wild,  19. 

Food  supply,   149. 

Foreign  population,  160. 

Forests,  18,   33,  73. 

Free  mail  delivery,  13  6. 

Freight  transfer,  13  4. 

French  control,  3  9,  4  2-44,  4  6,  50;  at- 
titude toward  Indians,  42;  lack  of 
permanent  settlements,    43,    44;    ex- 


ploration,  43;    missionaries,   43,   44, 

50;   population,  160. 
Frosts,   12,  17. 
Fruits  cultivated  by  Indians,  44,   192; 

wild,  19. 
Furs:      How    packed,     55;     invoice    of 

goods    for     trade,     52;     kinds,     56; 

value,  5  6. 
P'ur  traders,  42,  47,  50-56,  84,  93,  194 

from    Detroit,    83;    nationality,    50 

pack      described,      52;      perils,      55 

travel,  51,  52. 
Fur  trading  bees,  55. 
Fur  companies,  50. 
Fur  trading  posts,  50;  fur  trapping,  5  5. 

G 

Gas  introduced,  162,  176. 

Gateway    to     Northeastern      Michigan, 

155. 
General  facts,  1. 
Geological  column,  199-201. 
Geology,  3,  4,  195. 
German  settlers,  160. 
Glacial  drift,  4. 

Glacial  lake  Saginaw,  4,  5,  6,  13. 
Glacial  moraine,  6. 
Glaciers,  4,  11. 
Government: 

Activities  in  city,  175-190. 
Education,   185-190. 
Electric  light  department,   17  6. 
Fire  department,   180-184. 
Libraries,  184,   185. 
Police  department,  178. 
Waterworks,   177. 
Aid    81. 
Building,   136. 

History  of  its  organization,  169-175; 
references,  197. 
City  charter  granted,  17  2. 
County  of  Bay  formed,   170,   171. 
Counties  formed,   1831-5  9. 
Greater  Bay  City,  174. 
Northwest    Territory,    5  8. 
State  of  Michigan,  5  9. 
Territory  of  Michigan,  58,  59,  67. 
Townships,  169,  170,  206. 
Village  of  Bay  City,  171. 
Indian,  election  of  chief,  3  4. 
Public  service  corporations,  175. 
Reforms  proposed  for  city. 
Commission  plan,  174. 
Initiative,   referendum  and  recall, 

175. 
Manager  plan,   175. 
"Governor  Marcy""  steamer,  70,  168. 
Grapes,   19. 
Great  Lakes:     Formation,  5;  effect  on 

climate,  15,  17. 
Greenville  treaty,  61,  67. 
Griffin,  first  boat  on  lakes,  43. 
Growing  season,   12,  14,  17. 

H 

Harbor,   5. 

Hardwood  flooring,  141,   152. 


208 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Hardwood  forests,  18. 

Haunted  valley,   31. 

Health  conditions,  11,  69,  194. 

Highest  points  in  city  and  county,  6. 

High    schools:      First,     187;     Eastern, 

189;   Western,  188,  189. 
History,  its  meaning,     25;     references, 

196. 
Horse  cars,   13  4. 
Hospitals,  163. 
Hotels,  75,  163,  169. 
House  building  industry,   13  8. 
House  finishing  materials,  140. 
Hunting:         Indians,       31,       3  7,      38; 

pioneers,  5  5,  91. 


Immigration,  71,  73,  160,  196. 

Indian:  Agriculture,  20,  193;  corn, 
20;  council,  62,  63;  dogs,  23,  25; 
"fire  water,'  34,  54;  fishing,  21; 
half-breeds,  51;  hunting  grounds, 
31;  legends,  192,  193,  202-204;  mis- 
sion, 164,  194;  names,  194;  refer- 
ences, 192-  194;  relics,  26,  28,  30; 
illustration  of  relics,  27;  reserves, 
9,  65;  salt  obtained,  108;  supersti- 
tions, 31,  192,  193;  treaties,  61-65, 
67,  68,  193;  treatment  by  whites, 
42;  weapons,  27,  33,  35,  38. 

Indians:  Chippewas,  25,  29,  31,  160, 
193;  legends,  193,  203,  204;  life 
described,  33-40,  203.  Mound 
builders,  2  6,  2  8,  3  0.  0-ge-ma-ge'- 
ga-to,  34,  64,  193.  Owosson,  46. 
Pontiac's  Conspiracy,  4  6,  47,  193. 
References,  192-194.  Saginaws,  33, 
44,  193  assist  Pontiac,  46;  warlike, 
47,  48,  61,  193.  Sauks  (Sac,  etc.) 
25,  29,  30,  31, ,43,  192,  202,  203. 
Treatment  by  whites,-  42.  Tribes  in 
Michigan,  29,  31,  33,  194. 

Industrial  development,  94-159;  agri- 
culture, 122,  123;  communication, 
135-137;  fishing,  114-118;  methods, 
117;  lumbering,  9  4-10  7;  lumber 
woods,  101-105  ;sawmills,  105-107; 
manufacturing,  general,  118-122; 
iron  and  steel,  141;  mining,  149; 
salt,  108-112;  shipbuilding,  112- 
114;  transition  period,  13  9-154; 
transportation,  12  4-13  5. 

Industrial  works,  121,  141,  146. 

Initiative,  referendum  and  recall,  175. 

Intemperance,  178. 

Interurban,  135. 


Jay's  treaty,  47 
Jersey  cattle,  147. 
Jesuit  missionaries,  4  2. 
Jokes,  pioneer,   92. 

K 
Kawkawlin  river,  5,  7,  28,  33,  81,  99. 
Kawkawlin  road,  129. 
Kiskawko,   64. 
Knitting  mills,  145,  157. 


Labor,   141,  147. 

Lake  City,  173. 

Lake  Huron,  2,  14. 

Lake  Saginaw,  4,  13. 

Land  animals,  2  2. 

Land  speculation,  7  7,  7  8. 

Latitude,  198;  comparative,  1,  2. 

Legendary  history,  25. 

Legend  of:  Indian  Maiden  and  Her 
Lover,-  203;  the  Lone  Tree,  203; 
Sauks,  29,  30,  202;  the  White  OwL 
203. 

Length  of  day,   12. 

Libraries,  184,  185. 

Lighthouse,  81,  126. 

Living  conditions,   162. 

Location,  city  and  county,  1;  early 
churches,  163,  164,  206. 

Log  rolling  contests,  166. 

Logs  brought  by  rail,  133;  by  raft,  13  9.. 

Longitude,  198;   comparative,  1.  2. 

Lower  Saginaw — See  Villages. 

Loyal  Americans,   161. 

Ludington,  15. 

Lumber  distributing  center,  15  8. 

Lumber  industry,  198,  205;  by-prod- 
ucts, 107;  decline,  139;  develop- 
ment, 9  4-107;  first  cargo  shipped,. 
89. 

Lumber  from  Canada,  140. 

Lumber   statistics,   2  05. 

Lumber  woods  and  camp,  101-103. 

M 

McGonegal  pavement,   12  9. 

McGraw  mill,  134. 

Mackinaw  mail  service,  13  5,  195. 

MacKinnon  Boiler  Factory,   121. 

Mail,   pioneer,   9  7,   135,   195. 

Manesous,  31. 

Manufacturing,  118-122;  advantages,. 
145-149;  houses,  13  8;  iron  and 
steel,  141;   new  industries,  13  8-145, 

Maps,  references,  197. 

Maple  sugar,  33. 

Market  quotations,   20  6. 

Markets  for  Bay  City  products,  14  9. 

Market,  city,  155,  15  6. 

Marshes,   19. 

Massacre  of  Sauks,  2  9,  2  02. 

Medical    inspection    of   schools,    19  0. 

Medicine  man,  3  4. 

Memorial  reports,  197. 

Mercy  Hospital,  163. 

Meridian  of  Bay  City,  1. 

Michigan  a  state,  183  7-5  9,  65. 

Michigan  Pipe  Works,  109,  119,  140. 

Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Col- 
lections,  192-198. 

Michigan  Territory,  5  8,   61,   67. 

Michilimackinac,   39,  44,   47,  50. 

Middleground,   23. 

Midland,  2. 

Midland  County,  59,  169,  170,  197. 

Migration  to  Michigan,  5  8,  196. 

Missionaries,  43,  44. 


INDEX 


209 


Mission,  Indian,  164,  194. 
Mitchell's  map,  1755 — 44,  197. 
Moraine,  6,  11. 
Morse's  Geography,  6  8,  194. 
Mosquitoes.   22,  86,  87,  192. 
Mound  builders,  2  6,  30,  192. 
Mount  Pleasant,  2,  15. 
Muck  soil,  11. 
Muskrat  skins,  93. 

N 
Native  life,  18-40,  160. 
Neh-way-go,  193. 
Neamquam  Bay,   5. 

Neptune  fire  engine  and  company,  18  2. 
New  England  settlers  in  county,  160. 
Nicholson  pavements,  12  9. 
North   American     Chemical     Company, 

142,  143,   199. 
Northeastern  Michigan,  155;  map,  15  8. 
Northeastern    Michigan      Development 

Bureau,  15  9. 
Northwest  Territory,  5  8,  197. 

O 

Oakland  County,  59,  197. 

Oak  openings,  18 

Oceanic  climate,  14. 

Ohio  river  route  westward,  5  8. 

Old  Ladies'  Home,  165. 

Ordinance  of  1787 — 58,  62. 

Organization  of  townships;   dates,  206. 

O-Sauk-e-non,  2  9. 

Owl;  legends,  2  03. 

Oxen,  91. 


Panic  of  1837 — 76,  78,  90,  94,  97. 

"Paper  villages,"  77,  78,  90. 

Parallel  of  Bay  City,  2. 

Parks,   78,   167. 

Passenger  steamers,   124,  125. 

Patriotism,   161. 

Paved  streets,  129. 

People      of      Bay      County,      160-169; 
sources,  160. 

Persons  mentioned: 

Astor,  John  .Jacob,  50;  Buck,  H.  E., 
174;  Campbell,  Major,  46;  Cass,  Cap- 
tain, 62;  Clark,  George  Rogers,  67; 
Clinton,  Governor,  71 ;  Davidson, 
Jas.  E.,  145;  DeTocqueville,  3  5,  69, 
70,  73,  85,  86;  Engelrau,  Jesuit 
missionary,  43,  194;  Ferguson,  E. 
E.,  188;  Fisher,  Mr.,  wintered  here, 
194;  Gause,  F.  A.,  188;  Handy, 
Frank,  174;  Harrison,  William 
Henry,  67;  Hine,  Gustaves,  174; 
Hubbard,  Bela,  115;  Jennison 
Brothers,  172;  Laing,  J.  B.,  187; 
McMillan,  Archibald,  48,  193,  196; 
Marston,  T.  F.,  147;  Mason,  Gov- 
ernor Stevens  T.,  76,  78;  Merrill,  S. 
W.,  188;  Nickless,  W.  H.,  140; 
Pitcher,  Dr.  Zina,  69;  Richardson, 
I.  B.,  27;  Smalley  Brothers,  122; 
Smith,  H.  B.,  119;  Stewart,  J.  A., 
188;   Stoddard,  John  L.,   162;   Tom- 


linson,  Wm.  H.,  188;  Watkins,  Har- 
vey, 183;  Wayne,  "Mad  Anthony," 
61,  67;  Wheeler,  106,  114;  Whiting, 
Dr.  J.  L.,  69;  Young,  W.  D.,  141, 
174;  Zagelmeyer,  Alex  and  Frank, 
127,  149. 

Physical  features,  3. 

Pigeon,  passenger,  22. 

Pinconning  river,  7,  3  4. 

"Pine  barrens,"   191. 

Pine  fore&ts,  18. 

Pine  Ridge  cemetery,  163. 

Pioneer:       Agriculture,     89,    91,    123; 

ague,  86,  87;  churches,  164,  206;  dan- 
gers, 85;  election,  169;  ferries,  126; 
fever,  69,  86,  87,  195;  flour,  88,  90, 
91;  hardships,  85;  home  described, 
88;  hospitality,  90,  91;  hotels,  163; 
jokes,  92;  life  described  82-93,  162, 
195;  mail  service,  97;  13  5;  recrea- 
tion, 91,  166,  167;  religious  services, 
91;  schools,  76,  185,  186,  195; 
stories,  21,  23,  48,  54,  55,  75,  77,  82, 
84,  85,  86,  87,  88,  89,  90,  91,  92,  93, 
95,  97,  115,  122,  135;  travel,  83,  84, 
89,  90,  95,  97,  128. 

Pioneers: 

Angell,  Rich,  127;  AArnold,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Frederick,  84;  Avery,  99; 
Backus,  Frederick,  81;  Barclay, 
Helen,  84;  Barclay,  J.  S.,  163;  170; 
Barney,  Cromwell,  78,  79,  80,  81,  83, 
95,  97,  99,  185;  Beckwith,  B.  F., 
109;  Birney,  James,  162,  163,  170; 
Birney,  James  G.,  78,  79,  91,  122, 
164,  169,  170,  196,  portrait  and 
sketch,  92  ;Braddock,  A.  D.,,  109; 
Braddock,  H.  D.,  112;  Bradley,  99; 
Bradley,  H.  M.,  first  chief,  181; 
Bradley,  N.  B.,  13  4;  first  mayor,  por- 
trait and  sketch,  172;  Brown,  Rever- 
end, missionary  to  Indians,  164; 
Burden,  John,  121;  Burns,  Daniel, 
170;  Campbell,  George,  134;  188; 
Campbell,  Mrs.  S.  S.  91;  Campbell, 
Sidney  S.,  79,  81,  83,  90,  122,  163, 
16  9,  185,  portrait  and  sketch,  90; 
Carpenter,  George,  114;  Case, 
Nathan  C,  81;  Cass,  General  Lewis, 
48,  62,  63,  64,  65,  68,  193,  196; 
Catlin,  Israel,  83,  89;  Chilson,  Cor- 
nelia, 84;  Chilson,  Mr.,  128;  Clark, 
Miss,  first  teacher  in  Lower  Saginaw, 
185;  Cobb,  Mrs.  Geo.  P.,  83;  Coman,  ■ 
Mrs.  F.,  84;  Compau,  Louis,  51,  62; 
Compau,  Mr.,  in  Salzburg,  23;  Cot- 
trell,  162;  Crosthwaite,,  Wm.,  112; 
Gumming,  A.  L,.  188;  Cushway, 
Benjamin,  74,  76;  Daglish,  W.,  109; 
Daily,  Michael,  54,  84;  Davidson, 
James,  114;  Derr,  Fred,  91;  Dolsen, 
99;  Dunbar,  B.  L.,  177,  184;  Drake 
Brothers,  173;  Eddy,  99;  Essex, 
Ransom  P.,  174;  Fay,  99;  Fennel, 
W.  H.,  123;  Fisher,  C.  D.,  135; 
Fisher,  S.  O.,  102,  134.  167;  Fitz- 
hugh,  C.  C,  131,  167;  Fitzhugh,  Dr. 


210 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


D.  H.,  78,  109;  Fitzhugh,  H.  M.,  109; 
Eraser,  James,   76,   77,   78,    84,     85, 
99,   109,     128,   134,     163,     169,   195, 
portrait  and  sketch,  71;  Freeman,  C. 
H.,      170;      Gates,      99;      Graveradt, 
Jacob,  51;  Hall,  B.  K.,  78,  95;  Hard- 
ing, T.   K.,    180,   182,    184,  portrait, 
183;   Hargrave,  99;   Hart,  J.  B.,  92, 
93;  Hawley,  C.  R.,  168;  Hayes,  John, 
126,  175;    Heisordt,    Peter    S.,  187, 
188;    Hood,    George,    119;    Hopkins, 
99;   Jennison,     99;    Jennison,  C.  E., 
109,   168;    Knaggs,  Captain   Whitte- 
more.   48,   63,  193;     Lasby,    George, 
trader,  52;  Lewis,  99;  Lord,  George, 
92,    93;    McCormick  family,    sketch, 
89;    McCormick,  James,   79,  83,   89, 
99,   McCormick,  James  J.,   99,   109; 
McCormick,  William  R.,  89,  90,  109, 
123,     170,     196,     portrait,    89;    Mc- 
Donald, 85;   McDonald,    J.    N.,  122; 
McDowell,   121;    McEwan,  Wm.,   99, 
128,  134    ;McGraw,  John,   99,    173; 
McKnight,  J.  A.,  188;   Marsac,  Cap- 
tain Joseph  Francois,  62,  63,  79,  81, 
83,    193,    196;     Masho,    51;     Miller, 
Jesse  M.,   135,    181;     Miller,    Judge 
Albert,  76,  77,  78,    79,    83,    89,  95, 
109,    123,    135,   169,   170,    185,   195, 
196,  portrait  and  sketch,  76;  Moots, 
Mrs.  Cornelia,  23,  84;  Munger,  A.  S., 
131,  135;  Munger,  Curtis,  109,  171; 
Munger,  Laura,  83;    Murphy,  N.  N., 
179,  184;   Partridge,  General  B.  F., 
123,  128,  170,  196;   Pierce,  Captain 
Benj.  F.,  79,  81,  83,  167,  188,  por- 
trait and  sketch,  173;  Pomeroy,  99 
Raymond,  Col.  Henry  S.,  170;  Riley 
John,  48,  193;  Riley,  Stephen,  V.  R. 
51,   64;    Robinson,  Miss  A.   E.,   186 
Rogers,   Mrs.  Thomas,     83,     87,   88 
portrait,  87;  Rogers,  Thomas,  79,  83 
135,  185;  Sage,  H.  W.,  99,  131,  185 
Schoville,     D.     C,     188;      Schutjes 
Father,  35,  84;  Shearer,  99;  Shearer 
James,     177     ;Sievers,    Rev.    Philip 
160;   Smith,  99:   Smith,  David,  185 
Smith,  Jacob,  64,  193;   Stevens,  Ap 
pleton,  10  9;    Stevens,    Sherman,  21 
Tromble,  167,   195,     196;     Tromble 
F.    J.,    40;    Tromble,    Cassette,    51 
Tromble,  Joseph,  35,  51,  54,  74,  75 
79,   84,  85,  91,  portrait  and  sketch 
84;    Tromble,  Leon,  73,   74,  83,  91 
Tromble,    Louis,     51,    54;    Tromble 
Mader,  23,  35,  54,    55,    74,  75,  79 
homestead   7  9,   portrait  and    sketch 
74;    Tromble,   Mrs.,     117;     Tromble 
Theodore,   21;    Trudell,  Benj.,   127 
Trudell,    John    B.,    74,    76;     Ward 
David,  104;   Watrous,  99;   Watrous 
Martin,    109;    Weed,   John   A.,    114 
Wilkin,  S.  V.,  168;  Williams,  B.  O. 
122;     Williams,    Ephraim    S.,    122 
Williams,  "Uncle"  Harvey,  81,  116 
117,  196;  Wilson,  Captain  J.  S.,  79 
83,  portrait  and  sketch,  82;  Wolver- 


De- 

Bay 

and 

Lan- 

195; 


ton,  Stephen,   81,  12  6. 

Plank  roads,  12  8. 

Plank  streets,   12  9. 

Police  department,  17  8. 

Population:  Density,  161;  distribu- 
tion, 161;  sources,  160;  statistics, 
139,  140,  206. 

Portsmouth — See  Villages. 

Portsmouth  Salt  Company,  109. 

Portsmouth  united  with  Bay  City,  174. 

Postal  service,  135,  136. 

Post  offices,  135. 

Potatoes,  19,  33,  73. 

Potato  river,  7. 

"Pound"  for  cattle,  161. 

Power,  present  sources,  149. 

Prairies,  19. 

"Press,"   first  newspaper,   162. 

Primary  school  fund,  186. 

Public  education,  185. 

Q 

Quanicassee  river,   7,   195. 
R 

Railroads,  131-133;  map,  8,  9; 
troit  &  Mackinac,  158;  Detroit, 
City  and  Western,  158;  Flint 
Pere  Marquette,  131;  Jackson, 
sing  and  Saginaw,  131,  133, 
Michigan  Central,  131,  133,  155 

Rainfall,   12,   13,   14;    maps,  16. 

Range  of  temperature,   14. 

Rattlesnakkes,  22,  85. 

Raw  materials,  147. 

Reasons  for  location,  82. 

Recreation,  15,  165;  pioneer,  91. 

Red  Rover  fire  engine,  181. 

Reference  lists,  12,  17,  20,  25,  28 
40,  44,  56,  59,  65,  72,  81,  107, 
123,  137,  192-198. 

Relics,  Indian,  27,  28,  30. 

Religious  services,  pioneer,  91. 

Reports,  false  and  misleading,  68. 

Reserves:  John  Riley,  65,  73,  78 
dian,  65,  193;  map,  9. 

Rice,  wild,  19,  33,  192. 

River  navigation,  75,  124-127. 

Roads,    127-129. 

Rock  formation,  3. 

Rope  ferry,  12  6. 

Rural  free  delivery,  13  6. 

S 

Saganing  creek,  7,  34. 

Sage  Library,  185,  188,  196. 

Sage  mill,  99,  100,  106,  173. 

Saginaw  bay,  effect  of  winds  ffrom,  14, 
17;  gulf  of  terror,  68. 

Saginaw  Bay  Company,  77,  78,  92. 

Saginaw  County,  169,  170,  197;  or- 
ganized  59,  197. 

Saginaw  Indians,  33,  34,  35,  44,  46, 
47,  48,  68,  193. 

Saginaw  Lake,  ancient,  4,  6. 

Saginaw,  origin  and  spelling  of  name, 
29,   192. 

Saginaw  river,  origin,  5;-  size, 7. 


,  31, 

118. 


In- 


INDEX 


211 


Saginaw  township,  169. 

Saginaw  Treaty,  1819-61-65,  68. 

Saginaw  Valley,  see  special  headings. 

Saginaw — See  Villages. 

Saloons,  178. 

Salt  formation,   h ;   in  Saginaw  Valley, 

196;    manufacture,    108-112;     decline, 

13  9;   obtained  by  Indians  of  region, 

31;  statistics,  205. 
Sand  dunes,  6. 
Sand  ridges,  5,  6,  11,  161. 
Sault  Ste.  Marie,  43 
Saws,  105,  106 
Sawmills,      105-107;       first      in  '   Bay 

County,  78,  95. 
School  buildings,  18  9. 
Schools,  185-  190,  195;   first  in  valley, 

76. 
Section  divisions,  map,   9. 
Settlement,   72,   73-93. 
Sewers,   11,  177. 
Shade  trees,  176. 

Shape,  Bay  County,  2;   Bay  City,  3. 
Shiawassee  river,  33. 
Shipbuilding,    47,    112-114,    194,    196; 

decline,   13  9. 
Shores,  ancient,  6,  11. 
Shrubs,  19. 

Sidewalks,  plank.   13  0. 
Size  of  Bay  County,  comparative,  2. 
Skull  Island:     Lrocation,  30;   massacre, 

29„  30,  202. 
Snow  storms,  13. 
Soil,   11;   influence  on  vegetation,   18; 

in  northern    part    of    county,     161. 
Soft  rock  in  Michigan,  3. 
Sources  of  population,  160. 
South  Bay  City,  fire,  180. 
Spanish  in  North  America,  42. 
Speculation  in  land,  77,  78. 
Stage  routes,  128. 
Standard  Hoop  Company,  10  6. 
Steamboats  on  Saginaw  river,   70,   75, 

81,  124-127,  195,  196. 
Steam  ferry,   127. 
Steam  sawmill,  78,  95,  99. 
Stone  age  implements,  27. 
Stone  roads,  129;  map,  8,  9. 
Storms,  12,   13. 
Street  railway,   133-13  5. 
Streets,  129. 
Sturgeon,  115. 

Sugar  beet  industry,  141,  145,  192. 
Summer  resorts,  15,  165. 
Superstitions  of  Indians,  31,  192. 
Supreme  Court  of  Michigan,  171. 
Surface,  5,  13  0. 
Surveyors,  68,  81,  194,  197. 
Swamps,  5,  7,  11,  18,  19,,  33,  68,  131, 
135,  194;   drained,  7. 

T 

Telegraph  and  telephone,  137. 
Temperature,  13,  14,  15,  ,17;  map,  16. 
"Thumb"  of  Michigan,  2,  69,,  155,  158. 
Tide  on  lakes,  none,  5. 
"Tiger"  fire  engine,  181. 


Tobico  Bay,  5. 

Toboggan  slides,  16  6,  16  7. 

Toll  bridge,  127. 

Toll  gate,   12  8. 

Towers,  electric,  176. 

Townships,  174,  206;  Bangor,  5; 
Frankenlust,  160,  171,  174;  Fraser, 
6;  Gibson,  6,  7;  Hampton,  169,  171, 
197;  Merritt,  6;  Monitor,  59;  Mount 
Forest,  6,  7;  Pinconning,  6,  7,  20; 
Saginaw,  169;  Vv^illiams,  59,  170, 
171. 

Training  school,  189. 

Transfer  system  for  freight,  134. 

Transportation,  124-135,  195;  ad- 
vantages today,  145;  bus  lines,  134; 
city  streets,  129;  county  roads,  127; 
crossing  the  river,  12  6;  electric, 
13  4;  railroads,  131;  river  naviga- 
tion, 124;  street  railways,  133-135. 

Trapping,  55. 

Travel,  early,  7,  71,  83-  85,  90,  195; 
Indians,  33;  winter,  131. 

Treaties:  Detroit,  1807-61;  Greenville, 
1795-61,  67;  Indian,  61,  64;  Jay's 
47;  Paris,  47;  Saginaw,  1819-61-65, 
68,  193. 

Tributaries  of  Saginaw  river,  7,  33. 

"Try  Us"  fire  engine,  181. 

Tuscola  plank  road,  128. 

U 

Union  school  district,  188. 
Union  school,  west  side,  188. 
U.  S.  soldiers  at  Saginaw,  69. 
U.  S.  surveys,  125. 

V. 

Varied  soil,  11. 

Vegetables,  19,  20. 

Vegetation,  17,  18-20,  192. 

Villages:  Auburn,  174;  Banks  (Ban- 
gor), 84,  174;  Detroit  founded,  44; 
Essexville,  174;  incorporation,  171; 
Indian,  33,  34;  Kawkawlin,  174; 
Lower  Saginaw,  54,  62,  77,  78,  79, 
80,  81,  83,  94,  196;  Pinconning, 
174;  Portsmouth,  77,  78,  79,  81,  83, 
174,  196;  Saginaw,  69,  70,  73,  74; 
Salzburg,  7,  26;  Wenona,  7,  2  6,  33, 
173,  196. 

W 

"Walk-in-the-Water" — first    steamboat 

on  Great  Lakes,  70. 
^War  of  1812-47,  67,  193. 
Washington   and  the   Indians,   61. 
Water  level,  17. 
Water  supply,  177. 
Wayne  County,  59. 
Wells,  deep,  17  7. 
Wenona — See   Villages. 
Wenonah  Park,  163,  167. 
West  Bay  City,  174. 
Westerly  winds,  12,  15. 
Wheeler's  shipyard,  106,  114. 
White  Feather  creek,  7. 
White  owl  legends,  203. 


212 


BAY  COUNTY,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


White  pine,  18. 

Wholesale  distribution,   155. 

Wigwam,   35,   203. 

"Wild  Cat"  bank,  80. 

Wild  flowers,  19;  fruits,  19;  vege- 
tables, 19,  20. 

Winds,  12,  13,  14,  15,  17;  effect  on 
water  level,  17. 

Wolverine,  habits,  24. 

Wolves,  23. 


Wooden  pipes,  119. 

Woodenware  works,  51,  119,  140. 

Wyckoff  pavement,   129. 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  164,  165. 
Y.   W.  C.   A.,   165. 

Young,  W.  D.,  hardwood  flooring  plant, 
152. 


Bay  County  Corn 


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